Gardening: Francis Tophill advises on watering plants without a hose
With heatwave season wreaking havoc on gardens, Anna Hampshire, a gardening expert at Marshalls has shared their “top dos and don’ts for gardening during hot weather” so that there’s no need to worry about what to do the next time a heatwave descends.
Top five don’ts for gardening in the heat
1. Don’t mow the lawn
Grass won’t grow as much in the heat as the lawn will be trying to recover from the heat or a potential drought. The optimum time is in cooler temperatures, after rainfall.
Anna said: “During a heatwave, your lawn will be trying to gain access to water and therefore should not be mowed, instead mow the lawn prior to the heatwave and leave grass cuttings to help shelter the soil.”
2. Don’t overwater the grass
Gardeners should only be watering their lawns if it’s essential. If the grass doesn’t spring upright immediately after being stepped on, it’s probably ready for a drink.
The gardening pro warned that overwatering grass could “lead to its demise” and therefore grass should be watered during the cooler time periods and only once a week.
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When watering grass, gardeners should look to water deeply to ensure enough water to see through a drought.
3. Don’t prune plants
Pruning plants will signal them to grow which uses “vital energy and water” which obviously needs to be preserved in heat.
Instead, gardeners must wait until the heatwave has passed to give plants a good trim to keep them from “struggling to survive”.
4. Don’t plant new greenery
Anna warned that digging up soil during intense heat can “cause a loss of water” and increased temperature for the soil, both of these can lead to “unsuccessful planting”.
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Instead, plants should be planted during cooler periods and if possible using companion planting to help shade the soil.
5. Don’t use a hosepipe
With the hosepipe ban already in force across Cornwall, parts of Devon, Kent and Sussex, it is important to preserve water and refrain from using a hosepipe.
The expert recommends that gardeners use a good old-fashioned watering can, ideally with recycled rainwater.
Top three do’s for gardening in the heat
1. Choose drought-tolerant plants
Drought-tolerant plants include succulents, rock garden plants, native shrubs and trees, wildflowers and ornamental grasses. Identify which areas of the garden are driest and which get more sun or shade then group plants together according to their specific needs – with the idea being to only water what needs to be watered.
2. Water plants in the morning or evening
A natural instinct during a heatwave is to water plants multiple times a day but this can lead to “overwatering”. Instead, plants should be watered once a day during the cooler periods, in the morning or evening.
Another tip for watering plants in a heatwave is to ensure shallow watering, this refers to feeding plants at the soil’s surface, encouraging plants to find water near the surface that can “help them survive periods of drought”.
3. Keep the garden hydrated with a water butt
In recent years, hot UK summers have brought periods of extended drought, with weeks of little to no rainfall, leaving gardens too dry with some plants “struggling to survive” when the inevitable hosepipe bans come into effect.
Anna said: “Installing a water butt in your garden is a great way to give you a reserve of water that can be used for watering, even if there’s a hosepipe ban. Plus, it will reduce the overall cost of your water bill, as you recycle rainwater instead of turning on the tap.”
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