Preparing your Garden for a warm Summer

However wet the winter may have been, there is always the risk that drought conditions will prevail by the time summer arrives; the last thing any gardener wants is to lose plants or end up with a parched lawn due to lack of water.

It should be easy to water your garden regularly, but there will be times when this is not possible, say, when you are away from home.  Most of us have a friendly neighbour who can carry out the watering for us, but this is not always the case.  However, there are ways to ensure that your garden doesn’t suffer in a hot summer. Also read how to maintain a healthy lawn for more tips.

A dry lawn can be avoided with some preventative watering

Nowadays, it is simple and relatively inexpensive to set up an irrigation system, using perforated hosepipe attached to the water supply and laid around the garden. This can even be set up on a timer to water early in the mornings and in the evenings, when it is cooler.  For containers, a simple way to keep them moist is to use plastic drink bottles; pierce a few holes an inch from the top, fill with water, replace the top and place upside down in the compost – the water will seep out slowly,  keeping the plants well-watered.  There are also water-retaining gels available to mix with the compost before planting; they store water, releasing it slowly, and can reduce the watering requirement by around 75%.

The lawn will need special attention either in early autumn or late spring, to ensure that it is in good condition to withstand dry conditions. It  will need fertilising but wait until it has started showing new growth first, otherwise you could end up with more foliage than roots. Make sure you have cleared the lawn of old matted growth, dead grass, and so on, first. The ideal tool for this is a lawn scarifier, readily available at reasonable cost from your local tool hire shop; the shop will also offer a wide range of other tools, such as shredders, turf-cutters, rotavators and so on, all designed to help you keep your garden in tiptop condition.  When you start watering, wait until the lawn is quite dry; this will encourage good root formation.  Water to a depth of around 6 inches for maximum benefit.

With the right attention early in the season, there is no reason why you should not be able to sit back and enjoy the results of your efforts, even in the hottest of summers.