You spent half of last autumn planning a garden you'd be proud of come next summer, and now the sun has finally shown up; your garden looks like it's given up on life.
The lawn's gone crispy. The plants are drooping. The patio looks like it belongs in the Sahara. And you're standing there, wondering what went wrong.
You haven't done anything wrong. This is just what a British garden does when temperatures climb and stay there. Here's what's actually happening, and more importantly, what you can do about it.
No. Almost certainly not. Grass goes dormant in a heatwave. It turns brown, looks awful, but underneath, the roots are very much alive and waiting for things to cool down.
What to do right now:
- Stop cutting it. Longer grass retains moisture better and protects the roots underneath.
- If you want to water it, do it early morning or late evening. Watering in full sun just evaporates before it does any good.
- Don't panic-feed it. Fertiliser in a drought actually stresses the grass further.
Give it a couple of decent rainfalls once summer breaks, and it'll bounce back. Grass is tougher than it looks.
This is actually normal, even in a well-watered garden. Many plants wilt during the hottest part of the day as a self-protective mechanism, closing their pores to prevent moisture from escaping. If they perk back up by evening, they're fine. But if they're wilting in the morning too, that's when you need to act.
What to do right now:
- Water deeply and less frequently rather than a little every day. Deep watering encourages roots to go deeper into the soil, where it stays cooler and damper.
- Water at the base of the plant, not the leaves. Wet leaves in strong sun can scorch.
Add a layer of mulch around your plants like bark chippings, compost, or gravel. Even a 5cm layer makes a huge difference to moisture retention.
Not exactly a selling point when you're trying to sit outside and enjoy the weather. Some patio materials absorb heat far more than others; for example, dark concrete slabs and certain natural stones can become genuinely uncomfortable and dangerous for pets and bare feet.
What helps:
- Lighter coloured paving reflects heat rather than absorbing it. If you're thinking about replacing your patio, this is worth bearing in mind.
- Porcelain paving stays significantly cooler than natural stone or concrete in direct sun, which is one of the reasons why it's become so popular in recent years.
- A pergola or sail shade over a seating area makes an enormous difference. You don't need to cover the whole patio, just the bit where you sit.
If you've got plants in pots, they're the most vulnerable in a heatwave. Containers dry out incredibly fast, sometimes within hours on a really hot day, and once a pot dries out completely, it can actually repel water rather than absorb it.
What to do:
- Move pots out of direct afternoon sun if you can.
- Group pots together. They create their own micro-climate and lose moisture more slowly.
- If a pot has dried out completely and water is running straight through, sit it in a tray of water for 20–30 minutes so the compost can rehydrate properly.
One heatwave is an inconvenience. But if the last few summers have taught us anything, it's that hot, dry spells are becoming a regular part of the British calendar, not an exception to it.
If your garden struggles every summer, it might be worth thinking about:
- Drought-tolerant planting. Lavender, sedums, ornamental grasses and Mediterranean herbs thrive in heat and need very little water once established.
- Better paving choices. A well-designed hard landscaping scheme actually reduces the amount of maintenance your garden needs year-round.
- Irrigation. Even a simple drip system on a timer takes the stress out of watering and keeps plants consistently happy.
We help homeowners across Portishead, Clevedon, Bristol and North Somerset design gardens that look great all year round, not just when the weather plays ball.
If your garden has been letting you down this summer and you'd like to talk about what's possible, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch with us today and let's talk!
Mobile: 07725 817863
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Areas covered: Portishead, Clevedon, Yatton, Weston-super-Mare, Weston in Gordano, Nailsea, Avonmouth Bristol, and all surrounding areas in North Somerset.
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