Heatproofing and garden recovery

Q:

Q: HELP! My garden is a shrivelled mess after all this heat. Should I prune the dead leaves and give them a feed tohelp them back to life?

Our expert is Meredith Kirton, horticulturist, author, Gardening Australia presenter and proud tender of a soon-to-be open garden in northern NSW (see below for details).

A: First aid for heat affected plants generally involves a less is more approach.

First of all, DON’T prune your severely shrivelled growth, no matter how unsightly, until you are quite sure that there will be no more extreme heat. This is because pruning encourages new growth and this is the most vulnerable to burning or other damage. So pruning now may just put your plants at risk of double jeopardy.

Similarly with any sort of feeding or spraying – while the plant is still at risk of more heat exposure you are likely to cause it to burn more.

What the plants really need is water and plenty of it until the temperatures settle down. Then you can prune and feed with safety.

Sometimes, the soil or potting mix may have become so dried out that it can’t absorb water. With pots, try fully immersing the pot in a bucket or the bath and letting them really soak through.

You can also add a wetting agent, available from garden centres, to the soil or potting mix (this is generally recommended for pots anyway) to help the soil retain water for the plant to absorb.

Next time extreme heat is predicted, try the following to limit damage:

• Water deeply in the early morning before the heat strikes.
• Move any pots inside or into a shady area and group them together if they’re outside so they prptect each other.
• Shade is the key, so after watering drape your garden beds with shade cloth, old sheets, palm fronds, a beach umbrella – anything you have on hand to prptect the garden from direct sun.
• Consider use of a plant sunscreen (yes really) that you can spray on leaves. ‘Yates Stressguard’ is one example.
• In the evening when the sun has gone down, give the garden a light spray again to cool it down.

Finally, although the worst time to water is middle of the day, if you’ve missed the early morning boat on a heat wave day you can still get out the watering can – it may seem ridiculous but if that’s the only thing for it then it’s better than nothing.

Where to find out more – and see Meredith’s garden for yourself

For a one off chance to see Meredith's ideas in practice you can visit her property, The Top Place, in the picturesque Hannam Vale valley in Johns River on the mid north coast of NSW and see how she has turned a cow paddock into a garden.

There is a giant 4m x 4m chess set, a bocce court and cricket /rugby area. Meredith's particular interest lies in plants that look good all year, not especially in a seasonal flourish, so there are lots of interesting variegated plants, strappy leafed foliage, ornamental grasses and hedges.

There will be light refreshments, a barbecue and other entertainment from the local community available.

The opening dates for the garden at 164 Stewarts River Road, Johns River, are 18 and 19 April. Entry charge is $5 and the garden will be open from 10am till 4.30pm both days.

Meredith’s books, all published by Murdoch Books: DIG, PLOT and An hour in the garden, will be available on the day at garden gate prices, or from bookstores nationally.