Summer is well and truly here. By now gardens are scorched dry, but this year has been a different kettle of fish, with a lack of rain since last autumn too. At this time of year gardening work consists of mainly keeping things ticking over and the pleasure of harvesting. Enjoy the last of the summer when you can with a mojito under a parasol and if you have time left over for a little gardening, consider the following:
Stay safe
When working in the garden this month be extremely careful of the temperatures, which can often be above 30 degrees and sometimes into the 40s. Work at the start and end of the day to avoid the strongest of the sun, wear sunblock and keep well hydrated.
Water saving strategies
The Vienne is now at crisis level as a result of the severe drought we have been experiencing the last 12 months or so. Water use must be limited to hydrating oneself, cooking and washing only. Other water intensive activities are also forbidden, but in the context of gardening, in the Vienne this means that we may no longer water lawns and plant borders, or top up pools and ponds at any time of day from the mains water supply. Potagers are currently the exception to the rule, and may only be watered before 11am and after 6pm only.
The body of opinion out there seems to be that periods of intense heat and long periods of drought may now become the norm, so it seems important now more than ever that we consider carefully our water use and saving strategies in the garden.
Install an irrigation system with drip system (not those spongy ‘leak’ pipes that leak water throughout their entire length) that you can use to target directly the root systems of plants where the water is needed. Watering foliage is unnecessary for outdoor plants (houseplants is a different situation altogether).
Install a water butt or tank to downpipes. Add fish to keep mosquitos from proliferating, or use a mosquito dunk.
Those lucky enough to own a well can pump this water to use in the garden; it is only watering the garden from the mains supply that is forbidden. Refill the well without depleting groundwater by connecting it to the downpipes of your house.
Use ‘grey’ water from dishwashing, showering and the bath to water your plants. Soap will not harm your prized plants.
Get into the habit of mulching with organic matter, preferably compost, but other organic matter such as bark will work too. This can get expensive if you have a large garden, so consider composting your garden and kitchen waste and using that to mulch. Mulch your borders in spring and again midsummer. This will prevent water from evaporating away from the soil surface and keep roots cool. Don’t dig it in, leave it on the soil surface at a depth of 5cms or more (10cms is considered counsel of perfection) around and between (not on) your plants: digging and turning soil dries the soil out and releases carbon into the atmosphere. Leaving mulch on the surface will also help to suppress weeds and make weed removal easier whilst it is laying on top. Soil borne creatures will incorporate it into the soil over time, so you must make this a routine activity every spring and early summer.
Finally, (re)consider carefully your plant choices. Select plants that will survive happily in this climate, rather than continue to persist with water hungry plants that are ill-suited to the conditions and require your continual input in order to thrive, or even survive. A planting designer can help you with this and source the right plants for you.
Drought and storm damage
Heatwaves can cause the mercury to rise beyond 40 degrees for days at a time in this part of France, and occasional severe storms can beat the garden into submission. By this time of year the garden is usually lookined a little ragged as a result.
Check tree ties and adjust where necessary.
Prune out any dead, diseased and damaged plant material. Remember dead and damaged plant material can be added to the compost heap.
Remove any plants that have sadly not made it, take stock and consider what replacements, if any, need to be made in a month or two once the heat subsides and rains return. Autumn is the optimal time for new planting and helps with drought tolerance in the following year. Designing and creating new plantings/updating existing areas of planting are my speciality and what I love doing the most. If you would like help with designing and planting your garden, please get in touch here.
Box hedges
Remember to inspect your box hedges for box tree moth caterpillars. If you identify its caterpillars are present the preferred option is to remove them by hand and dispose of them. For small topiaries etc this is practical. For large hedges treat with bacillus thuringiensis (a natural soil-borne bacteria) to kill caterpillars. Apply the treatment in the early morning to prevent it from evaporating before it can take effect. Use only when box tree moth caterpillars are present to target this species only and ensure minimal destruction of other insects.
Use in conjunction with a pheramone trap to really interrupt the lifecycle of the box tree moth and maximise efficacy.
Weeds
A lot of the garden will be dormant at this time of year, but this will not stop weeds from flourishing if they are allowed to flower and go to seed, especially with the repeated wet and dry periods we are having this year. Remember to keep on top of weeding, little and often is key. Apply any herbicide to persistent perennial weeds such as bindweed on dry days in the early morning or evening to allow it to be absorbed before it is evaporated away by the sun.
Lawns
Continue to mow, even if just to remove the flowerheads of weeds to keep them at bay.
Routine Pruning
Continue deadheading. Dahlias, roses, Buddleia, Helenium etc can all have their finished flowers removed regularly to encourage the plants to continue producing new flowers.
It may even be suitable to remove flowerheads from some herbaceous perennials entirely, if flowering is finished, all the way to the bottom of the stem. Plants such as Oenothera (formerly Gaura), Knautia, Kniphofia, Echinops, Echinacea, Eryngium (why all the E’s?) will benefit from this treatment. They will throw up new growth and new flower stems in late summer/early autumn.
Euphorbias, such as E. amygdaloides and characias, will have finished flowering a long while ago and will benefit from having their flowers removed so that the remaining stems can mature and produce next year’s flowers. Prune out spent Euphorbia flowers back to the bottom of the stem to just above where you see new growth being produced. Remember to wear gloves at the very least to protect your skin from the toxic sap.
Holiday watering advice
Move containers to a shady area and water them well before leaving on holiday. Group the containers together on a tray(s) of water. If possible, get a neighbour to refill the tray(s) whilst you are away.
Deadhead and harvest your veg now so things don’t spoil in your absence and when you return you will have a replenished stock of fruit, veg and flowers.
In the potager
Harvest, harvest, harvest. Enjoy the fruits of your labours. Continued harvesting will also encourage your plants to keep producing more fruit and veg.
Prune fruit trees if you weren’t able to do it last month, see here.
Plant cauliflowers and other brassicas for a supply of winter veg. Remember to net your brassica plantings to protect from them from cabbage white caterpillar and keep pigeons from pecking away at them.
A fresh batch of french beans can be planted now for an autumn crop of beans.
Plant of the month
By this time of year the summer drought has taken its toll and many plants have begun going to seed. However, Oenothera lindheimeri (previously known as Gaura lindheimeri) seems to be somewhat bullet proof and the sun only seems to encourage it. It tends not to survive winters in wetter, clay-based, soils and is better adapted to drier, stony or gravelly gardens, not in short supply in this part of France.
It is a dainty, airy plant that looks like a floating swarm of butterflies and adds an ethereal, naturalistic quality to the summer garden. It comes in white and pink ‘flavours’ with shades and mixtures of both inbetween. To look its best it does better surrounded by other plants to prevent it splaying out in the middle and flopping all over the place.
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