As the UK welcomes warmer weather, many Britons are keen to spruce up their gardens, with ‘gardening in the sun’ becoming a popular search term.
However, gardening during a warm weather can be challenging and potentially harmful to your plants.
To help navigate these conditions, former Royal gardener Jack Stooks has shared his top five tips for successful summer gardening.
With temperatures predicted to exceed 20C across most of the country this week, Jack highlights the primary mistake to avoid in the heat, clever tactics for gardening that protect your plants, and crucial steps to prevent damage.
In an interview with SEO experts Big Fat Links, he also provides vital advice on shielding your indoor plants from direct sunlight.
1. Avoid mowing the lawn
Jack advises against frequent mowing during extreme heat. He says: “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. Watering plants
The gardening experts recommends watering your plants early in the morning or late at night to retain soil moisture and prevent evaporation during the hot day. Jack 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. Move your houseplants
You want to keep in mind that houseplants shouldn’t be in direct sunlight through the windows. You may need to move some of your plants if you moved them in the winter months.
4. Feeding plants
When it’s dry, Jack says you don’t want to start feeding plants because it can also burn them; you want to feed them when it is wet.
He says: “You can forgo this for the time being. If you haven’t mulched around the ground, this will keep moisture in and is also a weed suppressant, so you can also use this time to weed your garden.”
5. Avoid planting anything
According to Jack, you don’t want to put too much stress on the plants by moving them or planting anything if you can help it.
He says: “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.”
