With temperatures soaring, it can be tempting to reach for the hosepipe and spend hours trying to keep the garden looking green. But according to Hever Castle’s Head Gardener Neil Miller, the best thing you can do in a heatwave is often…nothing at all!
Neil, who has tended Hever’s gardens for more than 25 years, has seen a huge change in the way we garden as our weather becomes increasingly unpredictable. Here, he shares his top tips for keeping your garden happy during hot, dry spells and explains why the sunshine isn’t all bad news for gardeners.
If your grass has turned brown, don’t worry – and, more importantly, don’t waste water trying to revive it.
“Your grass is not dead, so don’t water it,” says Neil. “An established lawn will never die because of a lack of water. Just leave it.”
The same goes for longer grass. If you’re looking at your lawn and wondering whether it really needs cutting, Neil’s advice is simple: don’t!
Longer grass helps to retain shade and moisture in the soil, helping the ground to stay cooler during hot weather. So, if your lawn is looking a little more meadow-like than manicured, embrace it.
If you do need to water, timing is everything. Neil recommends watering first thing in the morning or later in the evening, when temperatures are cooler and less water will be lost to evaporation.
If you’re watering by hand, take the nozzle off your watering can and aim the water directly at the base of the plant rather than over the leaves. Water sitting on leaves in strong sunshine can cause them to scorch.
And if water is in short supply, prioritise what really needs it. Hanging baskets, annual bedding plants and plants in pots will need the most attention. Established shrubs and trees are generally capable of looking after themselves, while many perennials can be left to go crispy and die back naturally – they’ll often return once conditions improve.
Neil also has a rather unexpected tip for roses: “They love washing-up water!” So, rather than sending it down the sink, reuse suitable cooled washing-up water on your pots and garden plants.
If you have a well-watered area of bedding, adding a layer of mulch can help reduce how often you need to water it.
Homemade compost or ornamental bark from the garden centre, placed over damp soil helps to retain moisture and keeps the ground cooler. It’s a simple way to make the water you do use go further.
At Hever Castle, water is treated as a precious resource all year round. When it rains, every drain gully around the grounds collects water which is then directed back into the moat and lake.
It means that rainwater falling across the estate can be reused rather than simply disappearing into the drainage system.
During periods of extreme heat, the gardening team also adapts the way it works. You may spot them moving around the grounds more than usual as they follow the shade and avoid the hottest part of the day. During the recent heat, the team has been starting work as early as 6am to make the most of the cooler temperatures before the 3-4pm heat arrives.
Even in Hever’s historic gardens, extreme heat inevitably takes its toll.
The Rhododendron Walk, for example, is noticeably wilting in places. But the plants are well established and Neil is confident they will recover.
“There will always be some degree of loss when you get heat like this,” he explains.
And while it might seem logical to choose plants that can cope with increasingly hot summers, Neil says gardeners need to think about the whole picture.
“We can’t plan our planting just for hot summers like this because we could also get monsoon winters.”
Neil has seen first-hand how dramatically the seasons have changed during his 25 years at Hever. He remembers when mowing would generally stop from October until Easter. Now, the team can find itself mowing for around 11 months of the year.
It’s not all doom and gloom. In fact, some of Hever’s plants are positively loving the sunshine.
This has been an exceptional year in the gardens. The roses have reached their peak in spectacular fashion, with the dry weather keeping pests and diseases to a minimum and allowing the blooms to shine. Kiwi vines, grapevines and fig trees are laden with flowers and fruit, promising one of the most abundant displays in recent years. As if that weren’t enough, the wisteria has surprised us with a second flowering, while our unique Chaenomeles × superba ‘Hever Castle’ – found nowhere else in the world – is even producing fruit in the Italian Gardens.
Tropical plants have been thriving too, with Lagerstroemia (crepe myrtle), Albizia and Photinia ‘Red Robin’ all enjoying the heat.
Neil’s advice? Why not experiment?
“Embrace the weather,” he says. “It’s not all doom and gloom for gardening.”
With planting opportunities becoming shorter and more unpredictable, extreme weather could be an opportunity to try something different in your own garden. Could a tropical-looking plant add something new to your borders? Could you leave an area of lawn longer and let it become a mini meadow?
And, perhaps most importantly, don’t feel you have to spend the whole day gardening in the heat. Follow Neil’s lead and get outside early in the morning or enjoy your garden during a balmy evening when the sun has gone down.
And if you’re wondering what to do with your greenhouse right now? Neil’s answer is simple: “There shouldn’t be anything in it at the moment!”
So put the watering can down, embrace the slightly wild look and enjoy your garden. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for it is simply let it be.
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Within the grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, there are two opportunities for you to stay the night with us.
Hever Castle has played host to many important events and celebrations for over 600 years. In 1903 when William Waldorf Astor set about restoring Hever Castle to its former glory, he added the Astor Wing, to accommodate his family and guests, before creating a lake and the spectacular Italian Garden to house his impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary.
There are multiple places to eat & drink across the Hever Castle Estate. Select between the Castle & Gardens and Golf Club below to discover more.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, Hever Castle Golf Club is a 27 hole Kent golf course that will encourage and inspire all golf enthusiasts.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, the Wellbeing Centre consists of five smart treatment rooms.
