After weeks of heat and little rain, Dorset’s gardens are showing the strain, prompting a shift in how we water, prioritise and rethink what really needs saving
By August, most gardens begin to look a little tired. This year, they have rather given up altogether.
After weeks of heat and no rain, even the most reliable plants are showing signs of strain. Lawns have long since gone the colour of old straw, flowers are shorter and borders are thinner than they ought to be, and anything newly planted has required a level of attention that feels slightly unsustainable. It does concentrate the mind.
The first thing to say is that not everything needs saving. It’s a difficult habit to break, but an important one.
Established trees, shrubs and perennials are where your effort should go – they represent years of growth, and will recover if helped through a dry spell. Annuals, by contrast, are fleeting by nature. If they struggle, it is not a failure so much as a reminder of what suits the conditions.
Make it count
When you do water, it needs to count. A thorough soak at the base of the plant, once or twice a week, is far more effective than a daily sprinkle. It encourages roots to grow deeper, where moisture lingers longer. Early risers benefit here – watering in the early morning is best. The garden is cooler, the air still, and far less is lost to evaporation.
Mulch has become less of a ‘recommendation’ and more of a necessity. A layer of compost, bark or even grass clippings spread around plants helps lock moisture into the soil and keeps roots cooler. It is not especially glamorous or pretty, but it works.
There are also some small adjustments that you can do which make a surprising difference. Grouping pots together creates a pocket of humidity and reduces how quickly they dry out. Moving containers into partial shade during the hottest part of the day can be the difference between survival and a slow decline. Even something as simple as using a saucer beneath a pot allows water to be drawn back up rather than lost entirely.
Looking ahead, it is worth thinking about how we capture water when it does finally arrive again. A water butt attached to a downpipe is the obvious starting point, but one is rarely enough. Linking two or three together, or placing smaller containers wherever you have a shed or greenhouse roof, soon adds up. It is not elegant, but neither is lugging watering cans across a dry garden in the evening.
For those with the space, directing water into the borders rather than away from them is another achievable shift – a shallow channel from a downpipe into a planted area, or simply allowing water to run onto beds rather than hard surfaces, keeps it where it is most useful.
Pick your battles
Perhaps the more lasting change is one of expectation. A garden in August may no longer be lush and green: but that is not necessarily a problem. Seed heads, dry grasses and sun-faded borders have a character of their own, and they carry far more wildlife than a constantly watered, perfectly manicured space.
It may be that these summers are not the exception we once thought they were. If that is the case, the answer is not to fight for the garden we had, but to adjust sensibly to the one we have now.
And, if nothing else, to keep a few extra watering cans filled when the chance presents itself.
