Wave goodbye to your summer plants - with a clear conscience
There are plenty of both indoor and outdoor plants which thrive very well with a minimum of care. Many of these plants are relevant in the holiday season, but with a little common sense and some old household remedies, you can go on holiday with a clear conscience.
Most indoor plants can easily survive a week without care if you just give a little thought to the light and heat conditions inside your home, and move the plants away from the hot sun in the window areas. In fact, orchids, which are very popular indoor plants, only really need to be watered once a week.
Self-watering with bottles
If you are going to be away for a longer period, a good tip, especially for flowering plants, is to fill a bottle with water and plant it diagonally into the soil. That way, the plant will drink the water it needs by itself.
Succulents store water
Succulents are one of the plant types that will not be harmed by drying out between waterings. They store water in their fleshy leaves, and can easily cope with being left behind when the family goes off on holiday.
Sansevieria or "mother-in-law's sharp tongue" is another fairly robust plant that can survive up to a whole month without water, and the same is true of Ceropegia or "lantern flower". In general, many green plants with sharp leaves can survive for a while with minimal care.
Taking care of the outdoor pots
When it comes to keeping outdoor plants alive, once again just a little care and extra planning is required. For many reasons, it is always a good idea to ask a neighbour or family member to keep an eye on your property and your plants while you're away on holiday.
You could for example place your pots in a sheltered spot, such as under a lean-to or beneath the house eaves, where they will be protected from the harshest summer sun.
But even if the worst comes to the worst, it will give you a good excuse to get started on the wealth of exciting late summer plants that can create new plays of colour in your pot garden.
Examples of plants that can survive fourteen days without water:
Adenium
Aloe vera
Sansevieria
Ceropegia
Peperomia
Beaucarnea
Hoya
Succulents
Zamio 'Supreme'
