When a heatwave hits it’s not just us humans that suffer. While many flowers need full sun in order to thrive there comes a point where the excessive heat becomes too much of a good thing. Our carefully tended plants can be damaged or even destroyed unless we take steps to protect them. This article by Noelle Johnson which I found on the Houzz website suggests five ways that we can help plants survive a heatwave.
We?ve all experienced it: blistering temperatures, above our typical summer averages, that have us flocking to the comfort of our homes. But what about the plants in our gardens? Unless they are in a pot and can be brought indoors, plants are stuck outside, bearing the brunt of the heat wave with no escape. Most summers have a period of abnormally high temperatures that can be highly stressful for plants, resulting in wilting, sunburn and even death.
Let?s start with the most important tip of all.1. Give your plants extra water. High temperatures increase the rate that water is lost to the atmosphere from a plant?s leaves, resulting in wilting and sunburn damage. You?ll need to increase the amount of supplemental irrigation that they receive. It?s best to do this the day before the heat wave arrives.Avoid overwatering, which is also harmful to plants. If the soil is soggy, skip the extra watering session, as it will do more harm than good.2. Provide temporary shade. On a hot summer?s day, we all look for a shady spot where temperatures are a few degrees lower. Unfortunately, plants can?t move toward the shade, but we can bring it to them. Nurseries and big-box stores carry landscape burlap and shade cloth, which can be placed on top of plants to screen them from the sun. Other temporary shade methods include using a portable shade canopy to shield an area of the garden from the sun. Even a single patio chair can protect a low-growing plant.
See more at Houzz
Feature photo: Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting
