Surviving the heat

A guide for humans and for plants

Is it a surprise that the key to thriving in a heatwave, as opposed to just surviving, is hydration? I pride myself, for ecological reasons, in watering sparingly. But the weather apps are all showing rows and rows of suns, with no rainfall in sight until the end of the month and so now is not the time for such stinginess. There are many plants that will turn to a crisp in the blink of an eye if you do not take care.

General principles? Anything in a pot (yes, even a big one), anything young, and anything only recently planted. My courtyard is full of pots I have been bringing on since spring, as well as all of next year’s perennials that arrived with the postman in the last month. Everything I can, I have potted up into the next size container (more compost generally means more moisture is retained) and then moved into the shadier corners. A soaking every other day is better than a trickle daily. Mulching with grit will make more difference than you ever imagined possible.

Don’t get me started on the slugs that thrive in damp shady corners though. Summer slugs are the most voracious and this has been the worst year for slugs I have ever known. I find myself researching Khaki Campbell ducklings every morning. 

Water either early or late. I know it is tempting to hydrate in the heat of the day when things look at their most wilty; it works for dogs and people but the risk is that wet leaves in the midday sun is a recipe for scorching and you will lose more water in the evaporating.

Talking of the cool of the ends of the day, if you do need to do anything meaningfully physical, get up early. Not my most profound piece of advice, but I am leading up to telling you that there are some things that, if you have a big enough hat, that a bit of heat is excellent for.

Hoeing

I have hoggin path (like compacted gravel) and I can still remember where I was standing when the landscapers, rather endearingly named the Sweets, told me I would have to weed it. All my self-seeders adore it which would be fine, but so do the thistles, which is not. Pulling out weeds by their roots leaves dents and divots and my life was transformed when I got myself a blade hoe. I have had a beautiful copper stirrup hoe for years but it is no use for paths; a slicer is what you need. In warm, damp weather, hoeing is only partially effective, things just re-root as soon as your back is turned. In this heat? Not a chance. They are frazzled within the hour. Even things that you  can’t get the roots out with, this weather is stressful, and the hogweed is unlikely to recover if the heat is this intense.

Drying

I have washed everything I own. All the towels. Dog beds. All the winter woollen blankets that take forever to dry under normal circs. Even the pillows. So many things that I usually have to layer on the Aga, or turn over every five minutes to stop from going mouldy, dry in seconds. And so all the flowers that I want to store for the cold season are also being laid out on the long table in the orchard.  These are plants for dyeing. Dried flowers in the traditional sense that you want to preserve form and colour, need to be dried out of direct sunlight. I have hung a Sheila maid in the apex of my studio roof and have started the process of collecting my favourite spangles and sparkles for Christmas wreaths. The ammi is looking extra special.

A note – not seeds. If you are collecting seed heads full of seeds that you want to sow, dry in the cool. Heat is terribly for seed viability. I have cut some heads of the very special white campion that I am keen to spread about the place. I brought them into the cool of the cottage early and they are sitting in a jar in the shade.

Eating & drinking

Even in my English cottage garden, I have come over all Mediterranean. Yes to siestas and late dinners with multiple courses that start as the heat of the day starts to fade. If you have put any love and care at all into your garden, now is the time to relish and revel in it. Lay a table. Chill some drinks (extra points if you make ice cubes with petals). Scatter some bud vases of high summer flowers between plates, and heaven is a place on earth.

Oh, and a canopy is worth its weight in gold – fabric and sticks can make all the difference in the heat of the day.