This summer’s record-breaking temperatures have played havoc with gardens across the country. In my garden, the hot sun and a lack of water have left many of the plants and flowers scorched and wilted, and my once-lush grass now looks more like straw.
But while I’m tempted to rush in and cut everything back that looks dead or dying, advice from the experts is not to be too hasty when it comes to how to revive a frazzled garden after a long hot summer like this. Patience is the key, as there are plenty of plants that will bounce back to health after a heatwave once the weather starts to get cooler.
‘A heat-damaged garden doesn’t need to be written off,’ says Matt J Adams, founder and lead gardener at The Relentless Gardener. ‘Concentrate on the lawn, give plants the chance to recover, replace what genuinely hasn’t survived and use feeding, smart watering and better soil preparation to rebuild its health. With a little work in September, a garden that looked tired at the end of summer can be in a much stronger position heading into winter.’
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1. Don’t rush to cut back scorched plants
‘Heat-stressed borders don’t necessarily need a complete overhaul,’ says Matt. ‘Remove genuinely dead material but leave healthy green foliage in place, as the plant can still use it to recover.’
‘Removing foliage too quickly could place your plants under more pressure when they may just need time to recover as temperatures return to normal,’ agrees David Denyer, florist and gardening expert at eflorist. ‘Before reaching for the secateurs, I’d recommend waiting and looking for new shoots, green stems or healthy buds that show signs of new life. For woody plants, gently scratching the surface of a stem for signs of green underneath should indicate whether it’s still alive.’
‘After a heatwave, it can be tempting to remove any scorched leaves from plants straight away, but I would always advise to wait before pruning,’ adds Craig Wilson, co-founder and gardening expert at Gardeners Dream. ‘The plant will already be weak and the dead leaves can actually prevent the plant from being damaged further by shading it from more sunlight.’
‘Once the weather returns to cooler temperatures, or new growth begins to appear on the plant, then you can carefully prune the dead, crispy leaves by cutting from the base of the stem.’
2. Deadhead as the weather gets cooler
‘Similar to pruning scorched leaves, wait until temperatures drop a little before deadheading your plants to avoid stressing the plant even more,’ says Craig. ‘To remove any dying flowers, simply use a sharp pair of secateurs and cut down to the base of the stem or the closest leaf node for a clean finish.’
‘Deadheading faded blooms is an important step to encourage further flowering and help plants prepare for their next blooming season,’ says Chris Bonnet, founder of Gardening Express. ‘Just make sure not to remove any developing buds, although these may be less common following prolonged periods of heat.’
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3. Take time to repair a sun-scorched lawn
‘After a period of intense summer heat, the lawn can be one of the first areas of the garden to show signs of stress,’ says Peter Chaloner, Managing Director of Cobra. ‘Rather than trying to fix everything at once, late summer and early autumn are a good opportunity to gradually bring the lawn back into shape with three simple lawn care jobs: mowing, scarifying and aerating.’
‘Start with the mower, but don’t be tempted to scalp a heat-stressed lawn. If the grass has turned brown, it may simply have gone dormant and will begin to recover as temperatures fall and moisture returns. Keep the mower blades sharp and avoid removing too much growth in a single cut.’
‘Once the lawn has recovered enough to be actively growing, scarifying can make a significant difference. Removing dead grass, moss and other organic material build-up will allow grass to breathe and create better conditions for new growth. Don’t be alarmed if the lawn looks worse immediately afterwards – scarifying is a renovation job, and it can leave the surface looking quite bare before it starts to recover.’
‘Aerating is the next step, particularly if the ground has become hard or compacted after prolonged dry weather. Using a lawn aerator, such as this Electric Powered Scarifier (£109.99, Corba), to create holes in the surface helps open up the soil and improves the movement of water and air around the roots. Pay particular attention to areas that receive a lot of foot traffic, as these are often the first places to become compacted. The key is not to expect a tired lawn to recover overnight. Give it the right conditions and tackle the work in stages.’
4. Don’t immediately reach for the fertiliser
‘Plants that have been affected by the heat are focusing attention on survival and recovery over new growth, so using fertiliser too soon could encourage growth before they are ready to support it,’ says David. ‘It’s better to concentrate on getting your soil back into good condition and waiting for signs of fresh growth before applying a suitable general-purpose feed.’
‘Plants that are still actively growing and flowering will continue to need nutrients, particularly if they have spent the summer producing flowers, or if they are next to large shrubs or tress,’ says Matt. ‘For flowering plants, I use Blooms Booster All-Purpose Liquid Plant Feed with Seaweed, from £9.50, at The Relentless Gardener, as part of my feeding routine once a month at the start of the month. Fertiliser with seaweed has a higher potassium formulation and nutrients to support flowering, making it a useful feed for helping plants maintain healthy growth and colour through the later part of the growing season.’
5. Replenish beds and borders gradually
‘Compacted soil won’t allow for water to penetrate down into roots, and it may just run off the surface instead. If you notice this in garden flower beds and borders, try gently loosening the top layer around plants with a hand fork, as well as adding some garden compost to improve soil structure and its ability to retain moisture,’ advises David.
‘If you’re looking to add colour to the garden and fill any gaps ready for September and the autumn months, you can start planting autumn bulbs such as colchicums and autumn crocuses now,’ says Chris. ‘These will help brighten up a garden that may be looking a little tired after the hot and dry summer.’
‘And you can also dig out spent annuals now and replace them with fresh plants that will provide colour throughout the autumn,’ adds Chris.
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6. Give container plants some extra TLC
‘Don’t forget containers, which can suffer particularly badly during hot weather because they dry out much faster than garden soil,’ says Matt. ‘Remove plants that have completely finished, refresh exhausted compost where necessary and check that drainage holes are clear. Give plants a thorough watering when they need it, but don’t leave pots sitting in water.’
‘Be sure to water container plants slowly to allow the moisture to work all the way down and consider moving any pots that look particularly vulnerable away from direct sunlight to a shady or sheltered spot of your garden,’ advises David.
7. Start preparing your garden for next summer
‘Finally, it’s important to use what you’ve learnt from the heatwave,’ says Matt. ‘If particular areas of the lawn repeatedly turned brown this summer or certain plants struggled despite being watered, make a note of them.’
‘If there are areas in the flower beds that dry out quicker in summer, apply 1-2 inches of home-made compost (grass clippings, aeration plugs work a treat, or well-rotted farmyard manure). This will help protect the dormant plants over winter. And it will also help introduce much-needed organic matter into the dry soil below for next year as the worms recycle it free of charge.’
‘Autumn is an excellent time to improve the soil, repair the lawn and rethink planting so the garden is better prepared for the next period of hot, dry weather,’ adds Matt.
‘Take the UK heatwaves as an opportunity to learn from your garden and make a note of the plants and areas that coped well this summer, as opposed to those that struggled,’ agrees David.
‘Mediterranean-style plants and varieties with silver or grey-green foliage can be particularly useful in hot, sunny areas. You don’t need to completely redesign your garden, but gradually choosing plants better suited to hotter, drier conditions can make it much more resilient when the next heatwave arrives.’
So, not rushing in is the advice from the experts. Take it easy with late summer garden care and your garden will bounce back in time for next year.
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