As another heatwave arrives, gardeners across the country are concerned about keeping their plants healthy. However, two simple tasks can protect your garden from the heat in a short amount of time. Gardener's World expert Carol Klein has shared easy steps for protecting plants during hot weather spells.
In a video posted to Instagram, Klein said: "Well we're in a heatwave, and it's really tough going for us humans and also for our plants. Well you can't change the weather, so best thing to do is, first of all, watering."
Watering in the Evening or Early Morning
To make the best use of water, even when it's in short supply, Carol recommends watering either in the early morning or late evening. Watering in the late evening, as the sun goes down, allows plants to make the best use of the water.
Mulching to Retain Moisture
Alongside watering, mulching can help protect your plants. Carol says: "If you haven't already mulched your soil, trapping that moisture underneath, it's not too late." She suggests using great compost, composted bark, or anything similar to retain water under the soil surface.
Carol adds: "As far as I'm concerned the very best mulch is plants. I tend to put plants close together. That way the soil hardly sees the sun at all and they'll stay as fresh as anything, indefinitely."
Container Plants: Move to Shade
If you have plants growing in containers, simply move them first thing in the morning so they are out of the sun's blast, and then move them back overnight or keep them in a shadier location until the heatwave is over.
