Feathery, white veronicastrum flowers planted with pink and white umbelliferous flowers Bear's breeches Keeping plants and the garden watered through the growing year can be one of the most challenging aspects of gardening. It takes time, often needs doing daily, and can even be difficult physically. Then there’s water wastage. Much of the water released by sprinklers is lost throughevaporationandrunofffrom foliage and soil. Not ideal from a water conservation perspective and the potential waste of time and money. The goal of watering is to keep plants healthy rather than wasting water. One great way to accomplish this is through usingollas(pronounced “oh-yahs”). They’re an ancient invention and are essentiallyclay potsthat slow-releasemoisturetoplant rootsunder the ground. Read on to learn more aboutollas, how to use them, and how to make a DIYollausing terracotta plant pots. Some have the advantage of having medical and beauty features, which are easy to access to reap their benefits. Finally, place the spike and water bottle into the soil and bury it until about 2 inches of the spike is visible above the soil. Be careful when pushing it in as you don’t want to break the spike – you might find it easier to dig out some of the soil first to start you off. Once planted in its new home, you can water it lightly to further jumpstart the spike’s root system. Step 3: Plant the spike plants in their final spot

Plant spikes outside any time after the last of spring’s cold snaps are over. This will ensure that the spike plants will have a long season to grow to their full beautiful potential and not die from a late frost.

Unfortunately, they won’t work too well for plants that need lots of water every day (such as your potted cherry tomato plant), houseplants that are in tiny or overcrowded pots, or hanging baskets.

The postage cost for the return will need to be covered by yourself (please keep the proof of postage until your return has been processed). Choose a terracotta plant pot that can hold at least a quart of water, if not much more. Ensure that it's unglazed – so no paint or glaze on any part of it – otherwise, water will not be able to travel through to the soil. Remember, a larger size olla can last much longer between refillings. Smaller ollas can be more effective for smaller spaces though.The lovely aloe vera plant has been used for thousands of years to treat various medical conditions, it’s medicinal properties can help you with health issues inside and out. It is very well known for its soothing gel Aloe vera gel. Not just good for skin issues, it can be blended with water to create aloe vera juice. An amazing health drink, aloe vera contains 75 potentiallyactive constituents, including vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids. We have done this with our raised beds for the last couple years. The ollas work great. I use a bigger size with tomatoes and larger vines and smaller ones distributed through beds for things like strawberries. I still water at the surface level many times in our hot summers and I have some recessed plastic pots with holes near tomatoes for deep watering once a week or so. But it’s really nice to know that they have a consistent, slow release option to keep them from drying out.