A Derbyshire company has the answer to the gardening problems caused by low rainfall and higher than average temperatures experienced so far this spring - self watering containers.

Based in Alfreton, family run company Amberol has seen demand for its containers soar as gardeners, grounds people and councils look for ways to conserve water whilst preserving their floral displays. The self watering containers enable plants to have constant moisture as needed whilst reducing the likelihood of overwatering.

Many parts of England experienced the warmest April since 1910, with southern, central and eastern regions recording less than 10% of the usual monthly rainfall. Guy Barter, head of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Advisory estimates that dry soils in many parts of the UK will need about 70 to 80mm of rain to get soil levels back to normal - well above the average rainfall of around 68mm for May.

As newly planted flowers are most vulnerable to drought conditions due to their immature root systems, many landscape gardeners and parks departments are using self watering planters to protect their displays whilst conserving water and manpower at the same time.

John Williamson, Marketing Manager at Amberol explains how the containers work. "At Amberol we have developed a system known as Aquafeed TM. Each planter has a built in water reservoir with a series of high capacity capillaries to 'suck' up the water which is then evenly dispersed via an expander pad. The reservoir needs to be topped up twice a week and because the water is stored underneath the soil, it doesn't evaporate. Our local authority customers have reported back to us that not only does it save water because none of it is wasted as it is all used by the plants, but also staff time and costs."

The containers are currently used by councils and parks departments across the UK. Glenn Springthorpe, Nursery Manager at Nottingham City Council, explains how the planters conserve water and keep costs down. "The containers help us to save time and money which would otherwise be spent watering the displays. The reservoirs ensure that we can maintain a high quality of floral displays in spite of extreme temperatures. In fact, some units are only watered twice a week, even in the hottest weather. They also save on water consumption when compared to normal hanging baskets."

The Royal Horticultural Society has produced a new report warning that excessive watering in the garden is having a significant impact on water supplies. The Society predicts that watering the nation's gardens will account for around 9% of domestic usage by 2021, whilst water companies are investigating the possibility of introducing seasonal tariffs as a way of avoiding hosepipe bans. The new tariffs could also include financial incentives for communities who collectively reduce their water consumption. A Government White Paper on water consumption is due out by the end of 2011.