
Historically, gardens need much less management to be prepared for summer when compared with winter. However, the UK has recently experienced a number of heatwaves that have significantly changed the way we approach gardening.
One of the most important new distinctions to recognise is the growing regularity of local hose pipe bans, as governments attempt to minimise the impact of extreme heat upon water supplies. For many homeowners, especially those who failed to prepare accordingly, this means potentially losing plants and garden features.
To avoid such compromises this summer, and to ensure that your garden is well-prepared for all circumstances, we’re sharing six important ways to manage your garden in the lead-up to the hottest time of year.
Collect Water
Recent years seem to regularly surpass the previous heat records and it is likely that it will happen again. As such, homeowners would do well to prepare for more hose pipe restrictions. One effective way to do this, is to begin collecting rainwater.
Not only is rainwater free and of greater benefit to your garden plants but you are able to hold as much as your garden storage will allow. Containers can easily be set up to catch open rainfall or can be attached to home drainage systems and then detached when full.
Mulch
By applying mulch to flower beds, soil is better protected from extreme heat with moisture being locked in over longer periods of time. While all mulch offers a great benefit to soil during heatwaves, those with a lighter colouring will offer better protection than darker alternatives since they reflect heat more efficiently.
Create Shade
Whether you are wanting to spend time in your summer garden or prevent areas from heat damage, creating shade is a good idea. Many choose to buy log cabins and outbuildings, since these high-quality structures offer a consistently cool environment that can also be insulated for winter enjoyment too.
Morning And Evening
Watering your garden during the heat of midday is an ineffective way to manage plants and soil since the water will evaporate before it can be of any use. Instead, it is important to saturate soil early in the morning and late at night, giving it time to get deeper into the soil and support your garden plants.
Moving Plants
Plants and shrubs need not be fixed in their positions. In fact, they can (and should) be moved according to the amount of sun exposure they will receive. If a certain patch is likely to spend a great deal of time in the sun, and without any option for shade, the plants should be moved into areas with a greater degree of coverage, even if that is simply beneath larger neighbouring plants.
Cut The Cutting
By keeping the grass of a lawn longer and patches of wildflowers suitably dense, soil is protected from severe heat spells, with more moisture kept beneath the ground. As such, it can be wise to keep your garden lawn growing before the summer season arrives, giving the ground the shielding it needs to survive any summer.