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Summer holidays are always a time to look forward to but if you’ve spent months building a beautiful garden, the thought of your hard work going to waste due to a few weeks away without water can be hard to process. No need to panic, there are actually ways you can keep your plants watered whether you’re there or not.

If you don’t live close to family or have a friendly neighbour who can pop in to give your plants a much-needed drink every now and then, you might be stuck in a predicament of just how to keep your garden maintained while on holiday.

Some plants are pretty hardy and can bear a week or two in natural conditions, but others need a little more TLC to remain healthy and thriving.

Whether you’re worried about garden plants, or houseplants, there are actually effective methods to keep them well-watered without human contact.

Express.co.uk spoke to Beth Murton, editor at Gardeningetc.com to find out the four ways to keep your plants watered and reduce the risk of a wilting garden or houseplant in your absence.

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It goes without saying that you should make sure to give your plants a larger drink of water just before you go away.

Ms Murton said: “If you’re short on time and can’t manage to water everything, make the thirstiest ones a priority.

“This includes things like container plants on your patio, hanging baskets and any crops growing in a veg patch or greenhouse.”

Next, Ms Murton advises moving your patio containers and pots into the shadier spots in the garden.

Ms Murton said: “While they’ll still appreciate a little sunlight, keeping them out of the harshest sun at the height of the day will help them to retain as much moisture as possible.

“What’s more, taller planters can offer some much-needed extra shade to smaller ones. Just make sure your chosen spot isn’t completely under cover as you still want your plants to have access to rainwater if there is the occasional shower."

If you have the budget, another option is to invest in a self-watering system for a "fail-safe" route to keeping your garden plants hydrated, according to Ms Murton.

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She said: “Something like Hozelock’s Pro 25 Pot Automatic Watering Kit is brilliant as it allows you to water everything from pots and borders to greenhouse plants and veg patches.

“The timer attaches to a garden tap and you can then program it to automatically water your plants on a daily basis via a series of drip emitters and pipes.

“There are even smart self-watering systems that can be controlled via an app, such as the Gardena Smart Watering Control Set, so if a heatwave arrives back home while you’re on holiday you can up the watering schedule accordingly without even having to get up from your sunbathing spot by the pool.”

Just like your outdoor plants, you should give these a good water before you go, and move any that are particularly susceptible to drying out quickly out of direct sunlight.

Ms Merton said: “If you know that any of your indoor plants often struggle while you’re away, an easy method I often use is to fill the bottom of the bath with water and then stand the plants in there while I’m on holiday.

“Hopefully this way you’ll return to lots of leafy loveliness rather than shrivelled houseplants that have seen better days.”

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