This year has been brilliant weather-wise in the UK. Lots of lovely sunshine and little rain. When the weather is this good we all want to get outside and make the most of our gardens and BBQ’s! However hot weather and no rain aren’t a good combination for your plants and lawns. If you’re not careful you may end up with a sad-looking brown and crispy garden. Most of us don’t want to waste lots of water or spend hours hosing our plants. The good news is that by using a few of our tips, you can maintain a perfectly green oasis without using galloons of precious water.
Make Sensible Plant Choices
When you’re planting your garden for the summer, be sure to choose plants that are made to thrive in hot weather and don’t need lots of water. Lavender plants are easy to grow, don’t need much maintenance, they smell nice and look lovely. They are also very drought resistant. For more colour what about rock roses, agapanthus, marigold or vervain? Ornamental grasses and yuccas are also good choices and they will look great all year round. You can find out more about drought-resistant plants on the RHS website.
Create Shade
When you’re planting, keep in mind that plants can add structure to your garden. Use trees at the back to create shade for areas of your garden that baked by the sun. Plant deciduous varieties so that the sun can reach the garden in Winter. Why not plant a cherry, apple or plum. They provide flowers in the spring and fruit and shade in the Summer. They are easy to grow and maintain too.
Install Artificial Grass
Watering some lawns is practical. However, if you have dry sandy soil and receive lots of direct sunlight a lawn will need constant watering int eh summer. This is timeconsuming, bad for the environment and expensive. If the conditions in your garden don’t suit grass don’t plant it. You can still have a perfectly green lawn though. Install artificial grass, which will keep your garden looking fresh and green even in the highest of temperatures. These days artificial grass looks really natural and is very long-lasting. There are additional benefits; artificial lawns do not need cutting, feeding or weeding. Simply use a leaf blower to keep the lawn clear or for terraces and patios – run over the artificial grass with your vacuum cleaner.
Intelligent Watering
As perfect as artificial turf maybe, you’re probably not willing to replace all of your plants with artificial ones! When you do water choose the right time of day. If you water in the middle of the day a lot of the water will simply evaporate into the air. Water early in the morning or late at night so your plants have plenty of time to absorb the water before the sun comes out.
You don’t need to water very frequently, but you should be watering as deeply as possible, which means giving your soil long soaks. This is the only way of ensuring that the water actually gets to the roots, rather than remaining at the shallow part of the soil. To check if it’s watering time, take your finger and push it into the soil. If you find that there’s still some moisture a knuckle or two deep, then it’s all good. If, on the other hand, this is not the case, you should water your plants again.
In addition to watering deeply, you should also be making sure that you water slowly. Indeed, if you simply “throw” large amounts of water on the soil, chances are that it may run off its surface, meaning that it won’t even reach the lower parts. As such, water as slowly as possible so that the water will get to the roots. You might find it worthwhile building up a circular bank around thirsty plants. You can fill this with water without it running away from the base of the plant.
You can also consider installing a drip irrigation system. These systems are easy to create, they save huge amounts of water and save you loads of time.
Use Mulch
Covering the soil up with something like cardboard, bark, straw, leaves, coconut husks, coffee grounds or other types of organic materials is crucial for a healthy garden in hot weather. The reason for this is that these types of materials will work to keep evaporation from happening, thus holding moisture for a longer amount of time in the soil. In addition, it will also keep the soil temperature relatively moderate which will prevent damage to your plant’s roots.
Improve Your Soil
If you have very dry soil you will probably find it very difficult to garden successfully. In these cases, the only solution is to improve the water-retaining capacity of your soil by adding organic material or even new topsoil. In addition to helping out with moisture retention, organic materials also work to boost the aeration and the health of the soil, which, in turn, results in a much greater success for your garden. When you’re looking for what to add, consider something like coconut coir, compost, or well-rotted manure. If you have a large garden you will not be able to do this in on go. Start by creating small beds or raised beds near your house or patios where you will be able to enjoy your plants the most. Over time you can improve the soil in more areas of your garden.
Summer doesn’t have to strip your garden of all its greens. With a few tricks, you can make sure that your garden will be an absolutely lovely place, where you’ll be able to sit and relax during the warm months.