June 17th

By Mutt Mulligan

Got vacation plans? Don’t forget your plants!

You’ve booked the hotel and made all the necessary travel arrangements for your summer vacation. But before you leave town, don’t forget to make provisions for your plants and landscaping. After all, you spent all that time sprucing up your yard – you want to make sure it’s still lovely when you return from your trip!

Make provisions for your plants before you go on vacation.

• Mow before you go. Just before you leave for your trip, mow the yard.
• Water well. Give the lawn, shrubs, plants and flowers a good soaking the day before you leave. Then, plan to water again right when you return.
• Recruit a friend. The best bet is to recruit a trusted neighbor to water and prune your potted plants and garden while you’re on vacation. (They can also bring in your mail and newspaper while they’re at it!)
• Create a week-long waterer. For potted plants, you can try this trick for watering while you’re away. Fill a plastic wading pool with an inch or two of water. Remove the saucers from your planters. Then, place the pots inside the pool.