With summer in full flow, and the possibility of temperatures soaring, now’s the time to start preparing your garden for a heatwave, especially if you want it to thrive, and to continue looking great throughout the hot season.
To help you protect plants in a heatwave, we’ve created this short article, listing 4 of the essential, ‘heatwave-busting’ strategies you need to implement, and a few tips on how best to go about it.
Water is a lifeline for your plants, and never more so than when heatwave gardening. But, when watering your garden, you must apply the right strategy to make sure your effort, (and water), isn’t wasted. Here are a few things to consider:
Water deeply: The key here is to water deeply, i.e. a lot of water, but less frequently. By watering in this way, your plants have a store of moisture at lower soil levels, even during the hottest times of the day.
Mulch: To help the soil retain the water you’ve added, make sure to apply a good, thick layer of organic mulch, such as tree bark chips etc. Applying mulch will also help add vital nutrients to the soil as it breaks down throughout the season.
Choose the right time to water: During a heatwave, you may be facing a hosepipe ban, so, to avoid losing that essential water through evaporation, only water early in the mornings, or late in the evening when the air is cooler.
Try drip irrigation: As a more efficient way to ensure your plants get the moisture they need during the heatwave, you could install a drip irrigation system, to deliver water directly to the plants' roots, rather than losing it in overspray.
Most garden plants love shade during a heatwave, so make sure to provide it wherever possible, even if this means being a little creative. Below, we’ve added a short list of a few things you could try.
Use patio umbrellas or parasols: Wherever possible, strategically place patio umbrellas or parasols to shield some of your most precious plants from the hot sun, even if you need to buy a couple more than you’d normally need.
Install row covers: Row covers made from special lightweight fabric are a great way to protect plants from direct exposure to sunlight during a heatwave, and the specially manufactured cloth will also allow essential air circulation.
Think about plant placement: When designing your garden layout, or when buying new plants, try to place tall or broad plants in places where they’ll provide shade for smaller plants that won’t deal as well with excessive sunlight.
Having healthy soil is one of your garden's best defences against the damaging effects of a heatwave, so, it is vital you implement some good soil care and nutrient management strategies, as soon as possible, including:
Soil moisture monitoring: For plants to grow successfully during a heatwave, the soil has to contain just the right amount of moisture. Make sure to carry out regular soil tests, to ensure it’s not too dry or too wet.
Soil testing can be done with a special soil moisture meter, which you can buy fairly cheaply online, or, you could simply poke your finger into the soil to find out if it’s retaining the moisture to a depth of about 3 inches.
Add compost: Well-fed soil is another good weapon against the effects of a heatwave, so make sure to incorporate some high-quality organic compost into your soil, before, during and after the heatwave.
Add mulch: As mentioned above, mulching is an effective way to help maintain the health of your soil, particularly during a heatwave when the soil is vulnerable to drying out and losing vital nutrients.
Your choice of plants when designing the layout of your garden is essential when it comes to protecting the overall aesthetic throughout a heatwave. Here are a few things to consider:
Choose native and adapted species: When selecting plants, choose plants native to your region, as these plants will have adapted to surviving during hotter periods, and will have resilience in similar climatic conditions.
Plant succulents and xerophytes: To help your garden survive a heatwave, when selecting plants, choose succulents and xerophytes, as these plants have naturally adapted to thrive in extremely arid conditions.
If you don’t fancy gardening in a heatwave, or anytime, get in touch with Culverhouse Gardens, and ask us about our garden maintenance service. We can come around regularly to make sure all the essential gardening jobs are done, leaving you to enjoy the benefits.
Posted by Culverhouse Gardens
