Dealing with drought

Steve and Val Bradley explain how to plan ahead to help our plants cope with the hot, dry conditions that are becoming more commonplace

- Steve and Val Bradley

WHENEVER we get a dry spell of weather, there is always someone advocating that we all choose only drought-tolerant plants to cope with ever-drier summers. We do seem to be getting hotter temperatures during the summer at the moment so it makes sense to take this into account, but it is often forgotten (or ignored) that many of these same plants are unable to cope with the cold, wet winters we get in the UK, especially when compared with the climatic conditions in the areas where these plants originate, such as the Mediterranean.

Most of the plants we are familiar with in our gardens can cope with hot conditions, providing some planning goes into their planting, establishment and care. If you start by assuming that a hot, dry summer lies ahead and plan for it, then you can usually mitigate the worst effects of the conditions.

Once established, trees, shrubs and perennials can cope unless conditions become extreme. Hard, baked soil can be difficult to work, but regular cultivations such as hoeing will help to control weeds that compete with crops and ornamental plants for nutrients and especially water.

Unfortunately, wilting is far from the only sign of dryness in plants and it tends to be the last one. Other symptoms may show before wilting becomes an issue. Slow growth, reduced flower size and poor extension growth of new shoots are all indicators that things are not well.

Probably the most common indicator of moisture stress is powdery mildew, particularly on plants like clematis and honeysuckle that need a moist root run. And treating the symptoms using a suitable fungicide is really only effective if the plant is given adequate supplies of water.

Pre-soaking