Get a water butt!

Why it matters

Every time it rains, water runs straight off your roof and down the drain. Over the course of a year, that adds up fast, a typical UK roof can shed a shocking 40,000 litres or more annually. Meanwhile, in summer, a lot of us reach for a hose or watering can filled straight from the tap to keep our gardens alive. A water butt closes that gap. It catches rain you’d otherwise lose and saves it for the exact moment your garden needs it most.

Hosepipe bans have become more common across the UK in recent years, as longer dry spells put pressure on reservoirs and rivers that are already stretched thin. Using tap water to water a garden also means using water that has been treated and pumped at real environmental cost, only to end up back in the soil. A water butt closes that gap. It catches rain you’d otherwise lose and saves it for a time your garden needs it most. So even if a ban is in place, your plants do not have to suffer for it.

Along with this The benefits go beyond your own water bill. Rainwater is better for plants than tap water, since it does not contain the chlorine and other treatments added to our drinking supply.

Getting started…

You do not need a big garden to make this work. Even a small butt attached to a shed, garage or wall can collect enough for pots and hanging baskets.

So which kind of waterbutt should you get?

The right water butt depends mostly on your space and your garden’s needs. If you have a small garden, patio, or just a spot beside a shed, a wall mounted style is the best fit since it takes up no floor space but still holds a decent amount of water. If you have more room and want to store as much rainwater as possible, a larger barrel style butt, usually 200 to 300 litres, will do more for you over a dry spell. For anyone who wants their water butt to double as a feature rather than something to hide away, decorative planter style butts look like a large plant pot and blend into the garden.

There are many more options than these but here are three which fit those profiles. Click them to learn more about them!

Barrel Style

Wall Mounted

Decorative

Check out this video for tips on installation!