As the UK is finally enjoying some warm weather, many people are looking to revamp their gardens, with a surge in searches for ‘gardening in the sun’. However, doing gardening tasks during hot weather can often do more harm than good. To help you keep your garden healthy, former Royal gardener Jack Stooks has shared his top five tips for gardening in warm weather.
With forecasters predicting temperatures over 20C in most parts of the country this week, Jack points out the biggest mistake to avoid in the sun, clever ways to care for your plants while protecting them, and vital steps to prevent damage.
Talking to SEO experts Big Fat Links, he also gives crucial advice on shielding your indoor plants from direct sunlight.
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1. Hold off on mowing the lawn
In hot weather, the last thing you want to do is keep cutting the grass to keep it short. Jack advises: “You want to forgo cutting for a week or two so that the grass keeps growing by itself, rather than depleting it. Wait until you have some moisture back in the soil.”
2. Timing is everything when watering plants
Jack recommends watering your plants early in the morning or late at night, so the moisture stays in the ground instead of evaporating in the heat.
He says: “You don’t want to water them in the middle of the day. I always stick to that and water at night. You also won’t be wasting as much water.
“Roses and peonies will be blooming soon, and you will find that if you water the flowers, they will fall apart.”
3. Relocate your houseplants
Jack says you should ensure your houseplants not exposed to direct sunlight through windows, and consider moving them if you had rearranged them during winter.
4. Fertilising plants
The expert advises against feeding plants during dry spells, as it can cause them harm; instead, wait until the soil is moist.
Jack recommends: “You can skip this for now. If you haven’t mulched around the ground, it will help retain moisture and suppress weeds, so use this time to weed your garden.”
5. Refrain from planting
Jack suggests minimising stress on plants by avoiding transplanting or new plantings whenever possible.
He advises: “People will be planting bedding plants and potted plants for the summer, but they will constantly need attention and watering morning and night.
“So, if you’re planting anything right now, it’s only bedding plants, and they will need a lot of water. I would suggest not putting them in the borders yet but putting them in pots and checking them morning and night.”