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Get your garden back in shape after a very difficult summer
With the joint hottest summer on record, tying with 2018, and the driest summer since 1995, it’s been a tough season for gardeners in most parts of the country, although not all areas were affected.
Unless you watered throughout, your garden is probably looking rather sorry for itself with a straw-like lawn and scorched plants. Don't panic though as plants are surprisingly resilient. You may have a few losses but most things will recover with a bit of tlc. Our experts share their tips for what you can do now to help your garden recover.
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1. Helping dried-out lawns
Lawns look so dry and dead that it's hard to believe that they'll ever recover, but don't worry as grass is very resilient and will soon green up as the rain starts to rewet the soil. Many areas are still affected by hosepipe bans so you can't use sprinklers to give the turf a soak. Heavy watering like this is an expensive job too as over half of households now have water meters that charge for every drop you use. The good news is that it's not necessary as the rain will do the job for free.
Once the soil is moist again, you can feed the turf with an autumn lawn food and reseed or returf any patches where the grass is thin.
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2. Scorched plants
Many shrubs, perennials and trees got scorched leaves in the extreme heat and dry conditions. Many are looking pretty sad and autumn may be a less colourful affair than normal with many plants already starting to drop their leaves. Don't worry as most plants will recover well and grow normally next season. The weather could be completely different with conditions being much more favourable. 2021 had a cold, damp summer so it's hard to predict what 2023 will bring.
Cut back anything that's past its best and write it off to experience. You can help your garden cope better with any future droughts by mulching the soil this autumn with 5cm-deep layer of soil improver, such as spent mushroom compost - you can order large bags of these online that are delivered to your home to make the job easier. These will help trap moisture in the soil and improve its moisture-holding properties.
Think about the plants you're growing and replace any that are struggling in the conditions your garden has to offer, for example lavender does best in well-drained soil in a sunny spot, while roses will struggle in thin, dry soils. Choose plants that will naturally thrive in your conditions and you're off to the best start. Autumn is a great season for planting and you can buy cheaper bare-root plants from November onwards. These are sold without pots so use less pest and plastic in their production.
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3. Fruit and veg
Many fruiting plants loved the sunshine and have got extra-sweet crops; tomatoes in particular thrived. Unless well watered, many veg struggled. Runner beans gave poor crops as they abort their flowers when night-time temperatures are high. Try a variety that's been bred with a French bean next year, such as 'Moonlight' as these crop more reliably whatever the weather. You can sow and plant veg now for crops this autumn and next spring. Good plants to try include lettuce, coriander, salad leaves and spinach.
You can help stay on top of watering next year by installing water butts on your drainpipes to take advantage of storing free rainwater. It's also a great idea to mulch bare soil with soil improver. Autumn is a great time to plant new fruit plants. Strawberries can go in during September as rooted runners and bush and tree fruit can be bought as bare-root plants from November to March.
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