Solution of the month

Q How do we help plants affected by the summer drought and heat? LINDSAY JONES, CAMBRIDGE; JAMES ROOK, BY EMAIL; LOUISA RHODES, ESSEX

AThe heat and drought of this summer stretched gardeners’ ingenuity and the resilience of some plants to their limits, but although many established plants either lost leaves prematurely or failed to reach their potential, most shrubs and trees should survive.

The main problem was with bedding plants and others planted in late spring and early summer, which received little natural rain after they were planted. However, shrubs such as Lindsay’s lilac (inset) and perennials that looked like they died, may actually have become prematurely dormant and might reappear.

The lesson, it seems, is to revert, where possible, to traditional autumn and winter planting times rather than spring, to help plants survive hotter, drier summers. Similarly, although herbaceous plants can be divided in spring or autumn, it may be that autumn is now the preferred time so that the moved plants have all winter to make some root growth rather than leave it till spring.

Now’s the time to install drip-feed irrigation systems and extra water butts to collect winter rainfall and make more soil-nourishing, water-retaining compost. Mulching is also beneficial: a thick mulch (inset) applied around established plants such as James’ roses before next summer will help conserve soil moisture. On dry sandy soils like Louisa’s it might be worth looking to gardens such as the Beth Chatto gravel garden (pictured) or Hyde Hall Dry Garden to choose plants that are better equipped to survive the rigours of heat and drought.