Help plants recover from drought, and plan for more frequent dry weather in future
This summer’s heatwave was the longest since 1976. High temperatures and no rain for weeks makes plants - and gardeners - highly stressed. When roots are unable to absorb enough water to replace moisture drawn out of their leaves by hot sunshine, plants lose vigour; grow, flower and fruit poorly; and ultimately may die. Our gardens rely on us for water not provided by nature, and using a watering can (due to a hosepipe ban) is an increasingly thankless task.
With autumn rains and lower temperatures, your plants should be recovering: you can help this with short-term fixes (right), but consider also the longer-term sustainability of your garden. Choose plants adapted to drier environments, and to reduce water needs replace high-maintenance features - for example, fine lawns and pots of bedding.
Helping recovery now
Is a lost plant dead? Trees and shrubs may have died back to ground level, but could regrow from their roots. Scrape away bark just above the crown: moisture and greenness mean the plant is still alive. See if it grows away well in spring (and remove if it does not).
Prune and water survivors Cut out branches that have died back on draughted plants, and keep them well watered in dry spells. Give a slow-release fertiliser in spring, to avoid nutrients leaching out over winter.
Care for turf Even lawns seared
Even lawns seared brown in summer (below left) should now be recovering. Improve grass vigour by aerating, scarifying to remove thatch, and give a low-nitrogen feed (to avoid soft growth and winter damage). Oversow bare patches, raise your mower’s cut, and leave clippings in place to help retain moisture. Wait until spring to apply selective herbicides for weeds.
Factors to bear in mind next spring
Replacements Consider whether to replace favourite lost plants like-for-like or with species better adapted to hot, dry conditions. Some climate models predict that in a decade or two summers like 2018 may be the norm. Losing large, mature plants such as trees is heartbreaking; instead, choose plants better adapted to warmer, drier summers such as palms, edible figs or eucalyptus.
Aftercare Ensure new plants establish well by watering in dry spells for at least the first year. Give slow-release fertiliser to plantings in spring to boost vigour.
Mulch
Applied before summer and ideally 8cm (3in) deep, mulches reduce weeds and keep roots cool. Little water is lost from undisturbed bare soil, but a mulch is better than even shallow hoeing.
Potted plants Replace thirsty, potted tender bedding or some ferns with more drought-tolerant perennials such as lavender, rosemary or succulents.
Next year’s blooms Shrubs and trees that form flower buds in late summer may carry fewer flowers next year. It is too late to remedy this, but be ready to water them in late summer should drought return in 2019.
In the vegetable plot Sow and plant early so plants root deeply before the heat. Space generously: crowded plants run short of water more quickly. Beetroot, chard, French beans, sweet corn and perennial crops (globe artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb) are less thirsty than other crops.
Longer-term considerations
Sustainability Fine lawns are among the least-sustainable garden features. Resow with a more drought-tolerant grass mix; convert to a perennial meadow; or replace turf with drought-resistant perennials in gravel.
Storing water Add more water butts fed from gutters; consider a larger reservoir out of the way or buried;
Advice from RHS The Garden, October 2018
This summer’s heatwave was the longest since 1976. High temperatures and no rain for weeks makes plants - and gardeners - highly stressed. When roots are unable to absorb enough water to replace moisture drawn out of their leaves by hot sunshine, plants lose vigour; grow, flower and fruit poorly; and ultimately may die. Our gardens rely on us for water not provided by nature, and using a watering can (due to a hosepipe ban) is an increasingly thankless task.
With autumn rains and lower temperatures, your plants should be recovering: you can help this with short-term fixes (right), but consider also the longer-term sustainability of your garden. Choose plants adapted to drier environments, and to reduce water needs replace high-maintenance features - for example, fine lawns and pots of bedding.
Helping recovery now
Is a lost plant dead? Trees and shrubs may have died back to ground level, but could regrow from their roots. Scrape away bark just above the crown: moisture and greenness mean the plant is still alive. See if it grows away well in spring (and remove if it does not).
Prune and water survivors Cut out branches that have died back on draughted plants, and keep them well watered in dry spells. Give a slow-release fertiliser in spring, to avoid nutrients leaching out over winter.
Care for turf Even lawns seared
Even lawns seared brown in summer (below left) should now be recovering. Improve grass vigour by aerating, scarifying to remove thatch, and give a low-nitrogen feed (to avoid soft growth and winter damage). Oversow bare patches, raise your mower’s cut, and leave clippings in place to help retain moisture. Wait until spring to apply selective herbicides for weeds.
Factors to bear in mind next spring
Replacements Consider whether to replace favourite lost plants like-for-like or with species better adapted to hot, dry conditions. Some climate models predict that in a decade or two summers like 2018 may be the norm. Losing large, mature plants such as trees is heartbreaking; instead, choose plants better adapted to warmer, drier summers such as palms, edible figs or eucalyptus.
Aftercare Ensure new plants establish well by watering in dry spells for at least the first year. Give slow-release fertiliser to plantings in spring to boost vigour.
Mulch
Applied before summer and ideally 8cm (3in) deep, mulches reduce weeds and keep roots cool. Little water is lost from undisturbed bare soil, but a mulch is better than even shallow hoeing.
Potted plants Replace thirsty, potted tender bedding or some ferns with more drought-tolerant perennials such as lavender, rosemary or succulents.
Next year’s blooms Shrubs and trees that form flower buds in late summer may carry fewer flowers next year. It is too late to remedy this, but be ready to water them in late summer should drought return in 2019.
In the vegetable plot Sow and plant early so plants root deeply before the heat. Space generously: crowded plants run short of water more quickly. Beetroot, chard, French beans, sweet corn and perennial crops (globe artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb) are less thirsty than other crops.
Longer-term considerations
Sustainability Fine lawns are among the least-sustainable garden features. Resow with a more drought-tolerant grass mix; convert to a perennial meadow; or replace turf with drought-resistant perennials in gravel.
Storing water Add more water butts fed from gutters; consider a larger reservoir out of the way or buried;
Advice from RHS The Garden, October 2018