How to water your garden plants

Goodness, as I write this, it’s hot out there!  Having watered already earlier today…I’m at it again, especially with my tomatoes, peppers and fruit bushes. Best to water first thing and again at the end of the day, hopefully standing pots on saucers or trays to try and keep as much water around the base of the pot. I usually water at the end of the day as this is great for reducing evaporation.  However, if a plant looks like it’s wilting and suffering from drought in the day, then water it immediately.

Using the right amount of water is the most important aspect of a plant’s survival in dry conditions. Bear in mind that it is not just hot weather that can cause soil to dry out, windy weather can also have a detrimental effect.  Try to avoid watering plant leaves in direct sunlight because they can become scorched, particularly when they have hairy foliage. Why not, if you haven’t already, install a water butt in the garden to conserve water.

For those of you enjoying yourselves away from home it’s worth investing in an automatic watering system with a timer, adjust it to take hot and dry weather into account. I’d also move container plants into the shade if you are going away on holiday and no one is watering your plants; your plants will thank you for it.

If you’ve got trees and shrubs that have been planted in the last couple of years on lawns or in areas of rough grass have a circle of clear earth around them – this must be kept clear or grass will prevent essential moisture getting through. Mulching with bark or compost will help.

Elsewhere in the garden consider cutting back early flowering plants such as foxgloves, snapdragons, lupins and penstemons as they go over, cut back just those sections of the flower spike that have faded, taking care to leave any secondary laterals that may be growing. You may get a second flush of flowers. Others worth doing this to are those lovely, fragrant catmints, hardy geraniums and any hellebore that escaped an early prune. With hellebores, as you cut back flower spikes, take a look at the base of the plant for seedlings. Don’t lift them now; come back in the autumn and pop them on into 9cm pots using a soil based compost such as John Innes Potting Compost No. 2. Grow them on by the back of the house, in a cold frame or unheard greenhouse and planting out next spring.

Lastly, be safe in the sun

It’s not only plants that can start to flag in dry weather, if you are working in the garden in hot conditions, it is important to take the following precautions:

• wear suntan lotion or sun block and top up often
• work in the shade if possible, out of direct sunlight
• wear a hat or headscarf…they’re all the rage at the moment
• take regular breaks and have frequent non-alcoholic drinks

Good luck and happy gardening!

For any gardening tips why not contact Tom Cole, Senior Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk