During summer, it’s vital households keep their garden cool during the blistering heat to help it survive.
From DIY shades and panting flowers, gardening expert Jack Sutcliffe, co-founder of Yorkshire-based shed manufacturer, Power Sheds, has shared a few tips tips that will help Britons maintain a beautiful and flourishing garden throughout the hot weather.
DIY sunshade
Shading plants can help keep the soil and temperature cool, which can allow “delicate plants to thrive” and prevent leaf curling and browning.
One way to do this is by either investing in shade sails or netting from a local garden centre or constructing your own temporary structure.
For this, gardeners can use either white bed sheets which can be fastened to wooden stakes, cardboard boxes, or even an old pallet propped up.
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Keep lawns tall
Jack claimed that in hot weather, it’s better for grass to be at least three inches tall.
He warned: “Longer grass casts a shadow and allows the soil to retain some of its moisture that it would have lost if it was shorter and fully exposed to the sun.”
Plant heat tolerant flowers
If you are looking to plant during this season, choose plants that are well-suited to the climate and can handle “high temperatures and dry conditions”.
A few options known to “thrive in the heat” include cacti, lavender, or even a classic marigold. These plants are “tough and can tolerate a lot of heat”.
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Don’t fertilise plants
While fertiliser is a great addition to garden plants, fertilising them when the weather is hot is a bad idea.
It’s best to postpone fertilisation until the weather calms down. Although it contains nutrients that promote plant growth, applying fertiliser during a heatwave can “increase stress on plants, and damage plant tissues”.
This is due to greater demand for moisture for the plants and nutrients, not effectivity absorbing.
Instead, focus on providing adequate water, shading sensitive plants, mulching and implementing other heat stress reduction techniques.
Water well but not too often
A mistake many gardeners make is watering too much which can be “more detrimental” than leaving them to dry out.
Jack said: “It’s much healthier for garden plants and shrubbery to be watered well every couple of days rather than several times a day.”
The expert’s top tip is to water during cooler hours and in the early morning which gives the roots time to absorb the moisture.
Layer mulch
The “biggest risk to plants in high temperatures” is the soil drying out. Once gardeners have watered their plants, the next line of defence should be to “use a layer of mulch” around plants to help the soil “stay moist”.
There are many different mulch materials gardeners can use during a heatwave, dry grass clippings from the lawn is also a great option.
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