\n
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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs the heatwave gets underway, how can gardeners minimise the damage caused by scorching temperatures?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about risk management,\u201d says Nick Turrell, RHS horticultural advisor. \u201cNo-one\u2019s going to suddenly change all their plants, getting plants with silver leaves etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome plants are more susceptible than others, and I would say the top five are hydrangea, which likes slightly cooler temperatures and plenty of water, Japanese maples, which have thin leaves and lose moisture, fuchsia, astilbes and roses, which are hungry and thirsty. They catch gardeners out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plants likely to cope better include lavender, rosemary, sedum and other succulents, he says.<\/p>\n
But what else can we do?<\/p>\n
1. Water wisely<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cWater in the morning because that\u2019s when the plants are going to be needing it during the day,\u201d Turrell advises.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t spray the leaves or water on the top of the leaves, get it underneath to the roots and use a watering can, not a hose, because if you\u2019ve a hose, you\u2019re more likely to liberally spray it around, which means you get a sprinkling on the surface which just evaporates. Get the nozzle of the watering can right in at the roots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa Quinney at Cabin Master, advises: \u201cDuring hosepipe bans or dry spells, greywater (from baths or washing up, provided it\u2019s free from harsh chemicals) can be reused to water ornamental plants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s best to water less frequently but more thoroughly, soaking the rootball properly,\u201d suggests Charles Carr, head of wholesale nurseries at Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres.<\/p>\n
Water plants in the area where the roots are, suggests Nick Hamilton, son of the late Gardeners\u2019 World icon Geoff Hamilton and owner of Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome plants will require more than others, so when considering whether a plant needs water then my view is that if you\u2019re not sure, don\u2019t water. Don\u2019t worry if a plant begins to wilt from under-watering, because if you then apply water, within an hour or so you would never know it was wilting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Give watering priority to anything which has been planted within the last 12 months, and particularly newly planted trees, Turrell adds.<\/p>\n
2. Mulch the surface<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cTo lock in moisture and protect plants during a hot spell, cover the top of container plants with a mulch such as gravel, bark or a good quality compost. You should also mulch garden beds to help bedding plants retain moisture and give them a nutrient boost,\u201d suggests Dobbies\u2019 plant buyer, Nigel Lawton.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdd organic mulch such as wood chippings, garden compost or leaf mould to beds to save water and improve moisture retention. A thick layer of mulch will block sunlight, insulating the soil and reducing the amount of water evaporating from the garden,\u201d Carr adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a good shredder is a very worthwhile investment as old flower stems, twigs and vegetable material, such as brassica stems, can be shredded down, composted and used as an excellent mulch,\u201d suggests Hamilton.<\/p>\n
3. Don\u2019t buy new plants<\/strong><\/p>\nIf the hot weather is forecast for a few weeks, there\u2019s no point planting new plants because you\u2019ll just be putting stress on them and on the watering system, Turrell advises.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything that has been established for more than two years should be OK because it already has its roots down deep enough to cope with unusual circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the plants will tell you if they need a drink, when they start wilting or the leaves start to curl up around the edges,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
4. Take hanging baskets down<\/strong><\/p>\nThe compost in hanging baskets can evaporate so quickly that it\u2019s best to take them down during a heatwave and put them in the shade where they won\u2019t lose water so rapidly, says Turrell.<\/p>\n
5. Pick vegetables which are likely to bolt<\/strong><\/p>\nLettuces are prone to running to seed in hot weather, so pick them young and keep them in the fridge, or shade them with netting to keep the heat of the sun at bay, says Turrell.<\/p>\n
6. Find shade<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cFor those especially vulnerable during extreme heat, temporary shade structures using old bedsheets, garden furniture, or shade cloths can make all the difference,\u201d says Quinney.<\/p>\n
7. Huddle patio pots<\/strong><\/p>\nPut patio pots in the shade together to create a microclimate and reduce evaporation, says Turrell.<\/p>\n
8. Look after wildlife<\/strong><\/p>\nMake sure birdbaths are topped up because they will need it for drinking and bathing, and put some pebbles in water-filled pot saucers to allow insects to land and drink as well.<\/p>\n
9. Leave your grass<\/strong><\/p>\nThe grass may look like a mass of straw but it will recover when the autumn rain comes, so if you can stand it looking brown, just leave it, says Turrell. However, if it has been newly laid and hasn\u2019t yet been through a winter, you\u2019ll need to water it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn hot spells, it\u2019s best to hold off on applying weedkillers or fertilisers. These can be too harsh when the lawn is already under stress and may cause more harm than good,\u201d says Peter Chaloner, managing director of garden machinery specialists Cobra.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen grass turns yellow and brittle, it\u2019s a sign it\u2019s conserving energy due to lack of water. At this point, try to keep foot traffic to a minimum and clear away furniture or toys so the lawn has the best chance to recover undisturbed.\u201d<\/p>\n
10. Plant drought-tolerant species<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you have spaces you feel you must fill, plug the gap with drought-tolerant species such as lavender, rosemary, salvia and sedum \u2013 but remember they will also need watering until they become established.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally, succulents and silver foliage plants like lavender are the best at adapting to warmer conditions, so these are fine to be left as they are, but you should make a point to check up on your other plants throughout the summer months and adjust watering as needed,\u201d says Lawton.<\/p>\n
11. Improve your soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cAn excellent way to improve a light soil and increase its moisture retention capabilities is to add organic matter, which could be your own garden compost, green composts or well-rotted farmyard manure. Any one of these can be lightly forked into the surface and then added to the surface as a thickish layer to act as a mulch,\u201d Hamilton advises.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look after your soil, pretty much everything else falls into place,\u201d says Turrell. \u201cIf every year you mulch that soil with as much organic matter as you can, you are helping to prepare for any eventuality.\u201d<\/p>\n
12. Use a water butt<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is another vital investment, says Hamilton, and can be fitted to trap and hold much needed rainwater \u2013 when it does finally come \u2013 from all your downpipes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would also consider using the low-pressure leaking pipe that will work from a water butt. When buried just under the soil surface and laid out around the plants that require a bit more moisture, water will just gradually leak out and because it is under the soil, evaporation will be minimal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more As the heatwave gets underway, how can gardeners minimise the damage caused by scorching temperatures? \u201cIt\u2019s about risk management,\u201d says Nick Turrell, RHS horticultural advisor. \u201cNo-one\u2019s going to suddenly change all their plants, getting plants with silver leaves etc. \u201cSome plants are more susceptible than others, and I would say the top five are hydrangea, which likes slightly cooler temperatures and plenty of water, Japanese maples, which have thin leaves and lose moisture, fuchsia, astilbes and roses, which are hungry and thirsty. They catch gardeners out.\u201d Plants likely to cope better include lavender, rosemary, sedum and other succulents, he says. But what else can we do? 1. Water wisely \u201cWater in the morning because that\u2019s when the plants are going to be needing it during the day,\u201d Turrell advises. \u201cDon\u2019t spray the leaves or water on the top of the leaves, get it underneath to the roots and use a watering can, not a hose, because if you\u2019ve a hose, you\u2019re more likely to liberally spray it around, which means y…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2476"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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