Driest April on record likely – but gardens can still flourish

April 2021 has been one of the driest on record with an average of 12.9mm of rain across the UK compared to the usual average of 71.9mm.

The South East has been particularly dry having seen seven per cent of the average rainfall for the month. Just 3.5mm this month so far with the driest April on record reaching 4.8mm in 1912.

Mike Kendon Senior Scientist from Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “April has been an exceptionally dry month across the South East, as well as the UK as a whole. Even though we are expecting a few showers over the next few days April 2021 is likely to be one of the driest on record, rainfall data stretches back to 1862.

It’s also National Gardeners’ Week and South East Water is providing some top tips to keep Kent gardens thriving even during this dry April.

Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources, at South East Water said: “It looks like this is going to be one of the driest Aprils on record and this needs to be taken into account when caring for a garden.

“We know how much pride and care our customers have in their gardens, and with friends and family visiting more this summer we want them to look their absolute best. So we’ve complied some top tips to help keep things flourishing with very little water.”

Three easy tips for the responsible gardener

1. Install a water butt - one water butt can hold enough to fill a watering can 25 times completely for free – get yours installed ready for when it rains
2. Ditch the sprinkler - sprinklers waste 50 per cent of the water they spray, through evaporation, run off and landing where water isn’t needed. Use targeted water systems like watering cans as they will get the water to the roots where it’s needed with little waste.
3. Drought proof plants - Include a few drought proof plants in your garden such as Lavender or Palms. They're easy to look after and will save you time and money