I'm a gardening pro – this is exact amount of seconds to water plants for during a heatwave & the best time of day
It's been really hot this week and the plants are really feeling it.
High temperatures can cause wilting, leaf scorch, stunted growth and a reduced ability to photosynthesis.
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There' s all sorts of way you can reduce the pressure on the plants to cope.
If you've got plants in pots - move them into the shade - and group them together - so they give each other protection.
Water early in the morning before it starts getting really hot - so it doesn't all evaporate - or if that's not an option - when the sun's gone down.
However morning is the best option - as slugs move around at night and love the damp soil.
It's best to give them a really good soaking once or twice a week rather than a light water daily.
And experts reckon you should count to between 20 and 25 seconds as you water each plant - to make sure the water soaks down through the soil to the roots.
It's not what we want - but there's no problem with letting your lawn go brown - if it's healthy it will cope - and the green will return when there's a bit of rain.
Raise your mower's cutting level and let the cuttings fall as mulch on the lawn - to keep in moisture.
Keep weeding - so they're not competing with the plants you want in your outside space.
Save and store any rainwater to reuse in your garden. If you don't have room for a water butt - just leave a few brightly coloured buckets around to catch any rain.
6 ways to get rid of slugs and snails
Or you could splash out on a dipping tank - which looks lovely and stories water.
You could also set up an irrigation system - although these are costly - but a leaky hose can work just as well.
Choose drought tolerant plants like Agapanthus, Lavender, Geums and hardy Geraniums.
Also in Veronica's Gardening Column this week...
The best new plants on the market - plus a competition to win a Lawncare flower bundle
A BRAND new cherry tree called Japanese Lantern has won the prestigious Horticultural Trade Association's 'Best In Show'.
From growers Frank P Matthews, based in Tenbury Wells, Worcs, the 'Prunus Samaura Fugenzo' was described as having 'densely double-frilled flowers with white, pink, and green petals that deepen in colour as they age'. Plus it thrives across all regions of the UK and in a variety of soil types, except those that are heavily waterlogged. All plants that entered had to be new to the UK and introduced to the market within the last year.
The winners were…
Annuals, Tender Perennials:
LaBella Dahlia Grande Chocolate Rose - from Beekenkamp Plants
Cacti & Succulents:
Cotyledon Green Footprint - from Javado UK
Flowering Houseplants:
Cyclamen persicum Super Serie Dragon Deep Blue - from Profitplant BV
Foliage Houseplants:
Calathea 'Velvet Glory' - from Javado UK
Herbaceous Perennials:
Hosta 'Silly String' - from Darby Nursery Stock Ltd & Fairweathers
Shrubs (including Conifers):
Hydrangea Zeta Noir - from Bransford Webbs Plant Company & Darby Nurseries
Trees
Prunus Sumaura Fugenzo Japanese Lantern - from Frank P Mathews Ltd (BEST IN SHOW)
WIN!
Our friends at Johnson's Seeds are offering TEN Sun Gardening readers a Wildflower lawncare bundle worth £25 each. The Lawn Seed combines slow growing grasses with UK native mowable flowers - a pollinators dream - plus there's a tin of Celebration Wildflower s. To win visit www.thesun.co.uk/WILDFLOWERLAWN or write to Sun Wildflower Lawn Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply.
NEWS! Dragon's Den OG Theo Paphitus has launched a new online garden centre at www.gardencentre.co.uk. Garden enthusiasts and pet owners can browse thousands of lines - from live plants and outdoor furniture, to turf, trellis and fences – with free delivery nationwide.
JOB OF THE WEEK Pinch out the tips of fuchsia to encourage more flowers. Pick sweet peas to get more blooms. Stake tall perennials like Goura, deadhead spent geraniums,
For more tips and news, follow me @biros_and_bloom
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