Small garden with no water

Reported.

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Were you previously using the private outside tap? The owner said that was ok?
A water butt is the best way to go.

My son owns an upstairs flat - with a garden behind the one owned by the downstairs flat. He rents it out.

The only way to access the garden is by walking down the road, then up the unmade/private road to the garages. Still, his latest tenants use the garden a lot for BBQs and socialising. They've planted it up and had an outside tap installed behind their kitchen.

From there (flat roof level) a hose runs down and along the fence to their second tap in their garden. They got permission from the downstairs chap and my son - although it's not a costly legal arrangement, just a casual, temporary one. They say they'll empty the hose for the winter to stop it splitting if it gets frozen.

Why can you not have your own outside tap, being an upstairs flat shouldn't stop you. Talk to a plumber.

Rainwater is always going to better for the garden but Fleurpepper's suggestion is a good one. Metred water is inexpensive. I pay £8 a month - 25p a day. Maybe a £2 a month contribution to your neighbour for the water and for allowing you to use it.

For drought-resistant plants, look out for the late Beth Chatto's book Dry Gardens and take advice from the RHS. Their dry garden at Hyde Hall is a marvellous example and has 400 different species of plants. Advice and a list of some of the plants here:

www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall/garden-highlights/dry-garden

Does your bath or shower have a separate drain pipe to downstairs? If so you can have a water butt attached to it

You need a waterbutt. I got mine free from our water supplier.

Is there a shed there? So you could have a water butt and collect water from roof gutter when it rains.

Could you offer to pay a contribution to the rentor/owner, of the downstairs flat? That would be the best solution.