CraighB, unless your plants are newly planted this year, there is really no need to water them if temperatures are around 20 degrees. Shrubs newly planted may need checking on for the first two years, but after that, they are even more tolerant than perennials.
It's only when temperatures go above that and there has been no rainfall for around two weeks you should keep an eye. If your plants are wilting, and the clumps are quite established, sound like you are really training your plants to have shallow roots and creating more work for yourself. Watering should be in the evenings to have more effect too, so think about your soil and the plants you have chosen. Maybe, some are not ideal for your soil and aspect, which could be the reason they wilt so easily.
Agree with Fire , what heat??? The last couple of weeks all we've had in E.Lincs are cold drying sea-winds and the kind of days when you need a Tee-shirt in the sun , but a coat on in the shade ! Gave two of my borders a good soak yesterday ; had no rain here for about three-weeks ! Hope we get some soon .
I never water established roses, only first year roses, but professionals will always recommend it, but I do have a high water table here where I am...
I've had to water some Astrantias which were newly planted, and first season roses. It's been very dry in East Anglia, but very windy which dries everything out.. warm in the sun, cold in the wind..
We water anything planted within the previous year - and our fruit and veg. patches every couple of days. The established trees and lawns never get watered, and we have an irrigation system plugged into most of our containers which is fed from the natural well. All our water butts are now empty, and there is no sign of rain on the forecasts.
Here is Dordogne it is often in the 30°s in the summer. I water the beds weekly, each one gets a long soak, but not all in the same evening. We also have violent storms, which are a great help with the watering, so long as they aren't too violent. I have an English style garden. I tried Mediterranean at our last French house but lost a lot in the cold wet winters.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I'm still working out how often large new raised planters might need watering. They are about 15 inches deep and mulched deeply with bark, so hopefully they will need not much (not in full sun). That was the plan, anyway.
Borderline, I have Sedum Autumn Joy, and I read that was drought tolerant however it was wilting also. It's been in the ground since last year and when I water I do water it deeply.
Could it be the fact my soil is quite poor and thin? Even after adding organic matter the past few years has only improved it a little. Also I have a walled garden so I bet this doesn't help with radiating more heat towards the plants?
Paul B3 yea I hope we get some rain soon however I really hope it waits until after next week as im away in Devon on holiday next week
CraighB, if your Sedums are wilting, it's a sure sign you are either over watering or your soil is rich/over-fed. They don't need constant watering. I grow all my plants in pots (not through choice), which is a nightmare for me, since I absolutely hate watering, so I have chosen plants that can deal with dry conditions like Sedums. They can cope and they can get too tall and get whipped by the winds but I have never seen Sedums wilt. They are very drought tolerant.
If you have thin soil and you are in the process of getting it more able to retain moisture, plan your borders to have plants with wide fan-like foliage, or plants that have good ground coverage to help keep soils shielded and cool. They can also crowd and shade neighbouring plants. Close planting has its advantages, rather worry that more roots are congested and need watering, in fact, in hot dry weather, this style of planting helps to keep soil cool and holds moisture in for longer.
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It's only when temperatures go above that and there has been no rainfall for around two weeks you should keep an eye. If your plants are wilting, and the clumps are quite established, sound like you are really training your plants to have shallow roots and creating more work for yourself. Watering should be in the evenings to have more effect too, so think about your soil and the plants you have chosen. Maybe, some are not ideal for your soil and aspect, which could be the reason they wilt so easily.
The last couple of weeks all we've had in E.Lincs are cold drying sea-winds and the kind of days when you need a Tee-shirt in the sun , but a coat on in the shade !
Gave two of my borders a good soak yesterday ; had no rain here for about three-weeks !
Hope we get some soon .
I've had to water some Astrantias which were newly planted, and first season roses. It's been very dry in East Anglia, but very windy which dries everything out.. warm in the sun, cold in the wind..
Could it be the fact my soil is quite poor and thin? Even after adding organic matter the past few years has only improved it a little. Also I have a walled garden so I bet this doesn't help with radiating more heat towards the plants?
Paul B3 yea I hope we get some rain soon however I really hope it waits until after next week as im away in Devon on holiday next week
If you have thin soil and you are in the process of getting it more able to retain moisture, plan your borders to have plants with wide fan-like foliage, or plants that have good ground coverage to help keep soils shielded and cool. They can also crowd and shade neighbouring plants. Close planting has its advantages, rather worry that more roots are congested and need watering, in fact, in hot dry weather, this style of planting helps to keep soil cool and holds moisture in for longer.