How To Save Your Garden From Stressful Weather: Gardening Tips from Borde Hill Gardens

[@kl5621]

Tips from Australia … run the water from your washing machine onto the lawn. Catch water from your shower / sink and put in garden. Bucket bath water onto lawn. Cooking water, cool and use in garden. Water tanks are available in multiple sizes and shapes, much bigger than water butts. Drip water feed with upturned plastic bottles. Leave water out for wildlife and use what ever you can to shade plants - umbrellas, sheets etc. And when it does rain, run around like a lunatic with every container you have to catch water!

[@feedermonkey7233]

These are wonderful tips! Thank you for taking the time💕🌱🌳🏡🌲

[@caio5987]

What about the soap though?

[@emkn1479]

Great ideas! We did the same when we had a really dry summer. I need to make it a regular part of my summer practices though. Even just catching and reusing the water you run to warm up the sink/shower can make a huge difference. This year we buried large vinegar jugs that had holes drilled in them and are using those as a DIY deep watering system in the vegetable garden. Lids keep insects and soil out and make it easy to refill.

[@kl5621]

@@caio5987 using an eco friendly detergent or soap helps, but if you distribute the grey water around the lawn it doesn’t seem to have any detrimental affect. When we had our last extreme drought it saved our gardens.

[@kl5621]

@@emkn1479 once you start the habit it’s hard to stop! We have to deal with regular droughts in Australia so we’re constantly thinking about saving water. Love the vinegar jug idea, will try next summer 😊

[@tmy1065]

The reason I find these videos so helpful is Alexandra always has a thoughtful list of questions on a topic. It’s like being able to ask the expert yourself. Although I enjoy other channels where people share their gardens, I appreciate her interviews with gardening professionals.

[@kerrilee9651]

Me to. And I find I watch them more than once. I just rewatched the one about planting trees as I have just purchased 3.

[@mt2766]

I heartily agree!

[@annelancaster8203]

Totally agree. A proper journalist, asking the right questions!

[@wjs5773]

Agree entirely . She is great.

[@geraldinefields1730]

Borde Hill Gardens is an inspiration. Texas was hit by a months long drought. The highest temperature was 45 C or 114 F. I water where I can reach. I am recently in a wheelchair and cannot reach all of the plants. Lost decades old azaleas. The heat is brutal and no matter how often I water the hydrangeas, they burn.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

What a pity! I hope we all get less heat soon.

[@moniquemckenna6795]

I live in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, zone 4 , prairie province. We have been having a heat wave 35 C and I put up stakes in my rose boarder (probably a zone 5) and attached ghosts sheets to them. The sheets let light in but keep the hot rays of the sun off the plants. The roses are doing extremely well. I also did this to a new boarder.I purchased the ghost sheets on line. I also have 5 rain barrels (600 litres of water). This extreme weather is throughout Canada.

[@jerrywatts3016]

Completely agree with not overfeeding plants. Lazy gardening but that's how nature works. We sometimes interfere too much. Don't push our plants too hard. Let time take care of it.

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

Agree

[@jerrywatts3016]

This summer has been challenging. I'm watering more than usual. I also save whatever water in the kitchen to repurpose in the garden.

[@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327]

This happens to us for a few weeks every year. When I see it on the forecast, I irrigate the night before as deeply as I can. Any new plants, I watch daily and usually have to water every 3 days after the deep soak. If it's a really terrible year, I will let the grass go brown and dormant and save all water for my borders and vegetables.

[@helenjackson2971]

It’s so very interesting to see the UK dealing with garden issues we here in Southern California have dealt with for many years. Mulch, mulch, mulch is the answer to so many water issues! Right plant in the right place is also key. I water 2x per week for 12 minutes for borders and hand water containers and any single plants that look stressed. Good luck to all UK gardeners in learning to keep your beautiful gardens looking as lovely as ever!

[@K.tarot.mystic]

I lost a lot of lavender plants in the heatwave! Lots of Hydrangeas got stressed and have been potted up and moved into the full shade, a lot of places will say hydrangeas are for full sun which I do not agree with even here in the midlands in England. But I agree not to feed the plants, my rhododendrons were stressed out from the heat and I made the mistake of feeding them and they couldn’t take it and went entirely brown! All the borders in my area are brown now and do not look good compared to last summer

[@dawndawn6946]

Thank you for showing us your garden! It’s very demoralizing to see my hard work fry in the heat! You’ve made feel so much better about my gardening skills.😬

[@Joy-zp5lv]

Today I read that the heat will go on all August here in Germany. O no! And no rain in sight. My garden looks horrible! I (thought I) planted plants that are supposed to handle hot and dry weather but they are struggeling. It´s quite hard not to get bussy and stress the plants even more. So THANK YOU for this video. I will (keep watering the ones most thirsty) wait till fall and then have a look what survived. Love from Germany 🌻💛🌻

[@anneas8532]

I love the way you are always rescuing us from stressful situations. Regards caring for the plants struggling in a drought, no one likes to see our plants shrivelling before our eyes, so thank you for all the many helpful tips.

[@yvonnehall544]

Thanks again for the wonderful video as we struggles with this extended heat wave..Great tips from the gardener. You seems to ask all the pertinent questions nothing barely left out. Great idea as we move forward. ..invest in more drought tolerant plants...This is global so we as gardeners have to adjust to changing times...We will have our gardens no matter what...Thanks for the privilege to see those historic gardens...will keep the watering until the rain comes. Keep this excellent work going.

[@emkn1479]

Great tips! I let autumn leaves lie, in general, when they fall on the beds. I clear them away from sensitive crowns, too. They make a wonderful mulch and as they break down they really enrich the soil and change its texture for the better.

[@LinusCello75]

What about using shade cloth to help reduce evapotranspiration during heat waves? I guess this is more common in areas around Oklahoma and Texas than the UK.

[@folee_edge]

The Jetstream migration and destabilization is affecting us all - it's a bit warm in the Pacific Northwest right now... going into our sixth day of temperatures 10-20 degrees above normal. It's good to spread the word about how to care for your garden during heat and drought: it's going to become the new normal for quite a lot of us.

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

I completely agree with discretionary watering methods! This weather is becoming the norm so it's best that we prepare our plants for it. Key takeaway- right plant/ right place. Thanks for sharing.

[@libbysingscontrezzo8419]

I'm in US zone 6, which is supposedly not that hot, but every summer we get periods of high temps (90+) and not much rain. I try to let my established plants alone, and allow the newer ones to suffer just a little but before watering. Otherwise the roots don't extend as they need to. My best performer in heat and drought is daylilies. It was baking last week and they were blooming like crazy with no sign of stress.

[@MarianneRuffhaven]

Thank you . I enjoyed learning about Borde Hill Gardens.

[@cydneysusan1950]

I so love your channel! Though I am in Houston, Texas, we are suffering from heat and drought like you all are. This particular episode answered so many questions I had. Thank you so much for a beautifully produced , helpful, and enjoyable experience.

[@lindadevuyst9311]

Here on Vancouver island we had that heat wave..omg..so I fully sympathize with you all this growing season …so unusual for us all

[@gabrieleruss-morgen9289]

Thank you for this subject. We haven't had any rain here in the German Westerwald for two month now and the use of water for irrigating is not aloud. Hard decisions have to be made for autumn: Ligularia, Delphinium and Cimicifuga for example can't survive a longer lasting drought in our region - they have to be replaced. The only plants that so far are doing really well are Geranium, Sedum, Red Campion and Alchemilla Mollis.

[@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327]

So interesting what works and what doesn't. It has to be down to soil type. We have sandy soil, 0 rain for months every summer. Delphiniums do well for me. Most geraniums wilt everyday, even in the shade.

[@kristycook9850]

You can probably use waste water such as hand dish washing rinse water, the water in your shower before it gets warm enough for you, things like that. I find larkspur, lavender, yarrow, queen anne's lace, and petunias do well in Texas heat with just a bit of watering at night to avoid evaporation. In my area temps are close to 38 to 40 C all summer. I also have great luck with 4 o'clocks in the semi-shade.

[@drawyrral]

I had a bad year last year for drought. What I did was let all the weeds grow and they protected the young perennials I had planted and the ground from drying out. I got gallons more water from the morning dew because of all the nasty weeds. This year the perennials are doing very well.

[@RasheedahNizam]

I live in South Florida and even we have not seen 104F temps! It's great to see your garden soldiering through.

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Thank you for these valuable tips. We've had many days over 90 and not much rain. My shade plants that are in mostly shade are shriveled and some are just stubs but it's okay, I'm confident they will come back next year and if they do they will be extra beautiful.

[@debrabray8855]

Excellent content! Thank you!

[@teresejohnson6767]

What an amazing garden! I’ll definitely need to read the book about the Visionary owner and founder of Borde Hill.🙏

[@Helen-mh8mq]

Here in NJ,I mulched pretty heavy.That has made a huge difference! My hydrangeas I watered once a week ,on drip,overnight.My potted plants I put under trees in the shade.That absolutely saved them.My coreopsis ,hardy geranium,pincushion,salvia have been champs!Champs! My lavender,which is in a pot almost croaked. That one went in the shade as well and saved it.When it got brutal hot is when we put down extra mulch,it really was miraculous. Thanks for this very important video.😊

[@great-garden-watch]

My lavender seems to love this recent NJ weather. They’re in the ground. I rarely water lavender anyway.

[@Helen-mh8mq]

@@great-garden-watch Yes,I think if mine was in the ground it would be doing well.

[@vanessaeden8174]

I lost my beautiful container growing camellia due to sun scorch in this heatwave. Very heartbreaking. There is also, understandably a hose ban for Hampshire UK in force from next Friday although we can still water our plants from the tap using a watering can.

[@hivicar]

We recall the social distance days, when we see the placement of chairs in front of the border! Great guidance!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - and yes, it was those days!

[@eileenchang2173]

Thank you, these tips came at such a timely manner and are applicable to all gardening zones ! 🌸🇨🇦

[@dianeasberry7928]

We are in an exceptional drought in North Central Texas, with 2 months of over 100 degree temps plus it doesn't cool at night. It breaks my heart seeing my beautiful garden suffer so. I've quit watering my lawn some if the beds are on soaker hoses which helps but still I've lost many plants. It is so nice seeing that gorgeous garden full of life with many useful tips for success in our gardens. I don't think he discussed how they water the gardens though or I missed the talk.

[@gardengatesopen]

I'm in Texas too, Central Tx, and our grass lawns usually go dormant this time of year. We keep our grass very high, 4 to 6 inches, so it shades itself during these 112°F days. The grass in the shade still looks pretty green! The grass out in the full sun has been working on going dormant with the blades rolling up. It'll be fine though. You're right, the heat has been EXCEPTIONAL this year - all over the globe!! As well as the lack of rain! We never got our Winter rains down here, and the lakes are evaporating right before our eyes!! I wish people down here would stop watering their lawns!! Many people who have just moved here (there's been A LOT of them!) don't understand the lawns survive this by going dormant. Plus, we're going to need that "lawn water" for other things!!

[@isabelledelacotardiere9230]

I find that all the plants were a month early due to the hot spring. The consequence is that August will much likely be flowerless....even the Verbena Bonariensis seem to dry up...the only plants/bushes that seem to survive (I will not go as far as saying they thrive though) are the roses, dahlias and, to some extent, the paniculatas. But to be honest, on the hottest days (37/38°) I have watered twice a day...

[@joannmicik1924]

We routinely have very hot spells in summer and often have 6 weeks with no rain. I've found that most established plants will wilt and go brown during very bad weather, but they are more dormant than dead. I usually water these sparingly, just enough to keep them alive, but not break out of dormancy. When the worst is over, only then do I cut them back (the wilted/brown foliage acts to protect the living core of the plant) and water well. Also, use "gray water" to irrigate. I keep a basin in the kitchen sink to catch water from washing veg, hands, etc. and use that to water the border. In very bad years, I keep a bucket in the shower with me! I hope your garden soon recovers!

[@meredith3588]

You always ask the best questions - all the ones I'm sitting here thinking while I watch, so thank you for that. Mr. Baldwin shared great tips and I loved seeing the garden. Thanks for flipping through the book so we could see more of Borde Hill's gardens.

[@michelleroberson43]

I set up an electrical conduit frame around my hydrangea, drop shade cloth and "stitch" on a few zip ties to keep it in place. It keeps my flowers and foliage from frying up in zone 8b in Augusta, GA.😁

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good to hear about shade canopies, we don't have them at all in the UK but maybe we will if this weather comes back frequently.

[@Holly_at_gypsyhollergardens]

This was so good , not only the tops helpful the history of the garden was fascinating, to have the letters of discovery linking to plants in the garden , brilliant !!! Thank you !

[@juliabinford6500]

The discussion about the rhizomes retaining moisture to withstand drought was new to me. My neighbor has put up a shade umbrella attached to a contraption to repair bicycles over a crisping hydrangea which has helped a lot. We are not at record heat yet…that was last summer here in the Pacific Northwest.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

We don't have shade cloths yet in the UK, but maybe we will soon!

[@jamnoise72]

Thank you Alexandra!! I had 2 lavenders one of them has died in the heat! Only one bit of green left on it. I think it's because it was in a pot! I told you about my Hydrangeas, they actually looked burnt I have never seen that. I'm in Hertfordshire

[@jessandrew]

What a wonderful interview!!! A wealth of information and a feast for the eyes. Thank you.

[@patriciablancopena4581]

Great video, thank you so much!

[@slomo1716]

What a wonderful historical information on this spectacular Borde Hill Gardens and a smart young man interviewed here! I love all the great information provided for successful gardening. I have a very small garden, I grow veggies and flowers. This is my first year for having so many compliments on my spring bulb garden, it was spectacular. But now with this dreadfully dry and hot summer and I have to I water every other day, early morning or late afternoon for my tomatoes, peppers, cukes, beans and peas to survive, all are desperate for water because I've planted in grow bags. The gladiolus, sunflowers seem to be fine, but I water my new (late planted) dahlias every other day when I water the veggies. My flowers getting the afternoon sun, have struggled and I've lost a few.

[@gardenjoy5223]

Now This is a garden I fall in love with. Lush, fun, bright in colours and yet a certain neatness is preserved. The wide paths with the trimmed grass on either side and then even the 30 cm or so hedge of whatever-that-is to define the end of the borders. But then the delphiniums in their might and glory do reign supreme in them. The purple and the yellow combined in their contrast. Those very hot summers! My rhododendrons died, even though I watered them sometimes twice a day (early morning and early evening). I missed ONE day, when I was a bit ill and that killed them. Learned the hard way, that they didn't like full sun exposure.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's sad about your rhododendrons! Although if we get more hot summers, perhaps it's just as well to find out they don't like heat earlier on.

[@juliepardo7767]

Excellent advice about holding off on the fertilizing during hot spells! Very helpful video Alexandra, thank you.

[@elisaangel9789]

Plants are hardier than you might think. I had to leave my garden completely alone for two very hot months straight. It was fine. I shouldn't fuss over it so much.

[@carolrose4784]

I’m getting addicted to your videos. Here in the middle of the US an extremely hot summer has killed some of my flowers grown from seed. However my worry is for my trees that are 1-4 years old. The heat on my cedars and arborvitae has turned them brown. I so hope they can survive.

[@jacksonpeterson6899]

Hi! What a gorgeous picture you've on your profile 😘. Just decided to stop by and say hi!!! I hope my compliment is appreciated :-)

[@adz5bneweng589]

In my area of Massachusetts, USA, we're in a stage 3 drought, but hot and humid. I planted 2 trees this season and am drip watering using 1, 5 gallon bucket per tree. I drill a small hole in the side near the bottom and fill them once a week. Everything else is established and going unwatered. I am seeing stress and increased pest and disease pressure. No plant deaths so far, but we dearly need a day of steady rain!

[@convinth]

Thank-you for introducing me to this garden, Alexandra; it looks fabulous! On my list of gardens that I must visit.

[@bjbrown6884]

I'm Florida just north of Tampa zone 9b and we are close to the Gulf of Mexico but summer rain is sporadic. Almost two months no rain then over three days four inches of rain. I keep my potted plants watered and use free mulch from the community pile to keep plants in the ground protected. It's not easy!

[@feedermonkey7233]

One of the top channels on KZbin 💚 Thank you!

[@jennifersauer3257]

Fantastic episode, Alexandra! 104 f/ 40c is not an unusual temperature for us out in western Kansas, USA. But that doesn’t mean we like it! 😂 Mr. Baldwin is very sage in his watering and feeding advice. His comments about our habits of trying to force plants to behave or grow in a certain way actually harming them really resonates with me. I was especially delighted to hear him recommend consideration of American prairie natives. They are tough and beautiful at the same time. Good luck with your weather - I hope it moderates soon.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - it's almost too hot to think!

[@jardinAlexandra]

Very useful gardening tips! Thank you so much!

[@BA-ef4pr]

Here in 9b CA, the heat just bakes some leaves. I put a drip emitter system in to every plant and it's been amazing. Re temperature and watering on a timer system I found this works: 90+ degrees gets 3x a week, 75-90 gets 2x a week and 50-75 gets 1x a week. System waters plants for 1 hour due to emitters are designed by gph. If a bush has grown it will get more emitters or the emitter will be changed out. I love this system and can actually just enjoy my gardens instead of feel like a watering slave.

[@margaretalmond9716]

Thank you v much once again Alexandra and Harry. Another v helpful video. Enjoy your break Alexandra. I learn so much from you.

[@JoannaLouise200]

Such a pretty garden! ~ and excellent advice for the care of our parched plants.

[@seanjamescameron]

Great to see Harry progressing in the industry, seems only a few years ago I was interviewing him at Kew Gardens.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

He interviews very well, I agree. Hope you're surviving this heat!

[@tobaccospipesandmore7762]

We’ve had the hottest summer this year. It has been in the high 90’s f to 108f for over a month! Many days were 100f. This has made it very tough for watering and has taught me a lot about what I need to do this fall.

[@rik80280]

We were in a drought up until a couple of weeks ago, and my double-file viburnum dried up and got all brown, watering didn't bring it back, and I thought maybe it had a fungal disease, so I pulled it out. But later I thought that maybe I should have left it in longer to see if it pushed out new leaves. Oh well, live and learn.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Alexandra, such a pleasant garden "chat"!! We live in Africa where there is not too much rain in the summer yet there can be an abundance some seasons. My husband would use captured rain water and with the watering can water, a 20L per plant, BUT, he has also made the plants accustomed to not over-watering!! I was a bit annoyed at the start but he did a wonderful job!! The plants did become more resilient to scare watering for their own good. Plants are so expensive, so rather buy sensibly and take care of a little, dedicate your time in nurturing and caring on what we can afford. We never water our mature trees we say as their roots are so deep they can feed themselves. Hope you can keep your plants growing, I also have a dish in the rinsing side of the kitchen sink and I use that water for the plants as well. It does help. Thank you for the lovely talk it was so informative. Do take care, kind regards.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good advice, thank you!

[@catacombcatholic5571]

Such a helpful video. Thank you, Alexandra! I appreciate the straight-to-the-point advice from the garden expert you are consulting here.

[@henniejacobs8496]

Thanks for that - helps a lot!

[@jacksonpeterson6899]

Hi! What a gorgeous picture you've on your profile 😘. Just decided to stop by and say hi!!! I hope my compliment is appreciated :-)

[@alywill9716]

Thank you for this. I live in southwest Washington state (near Portland Oregon), zone 8. We too have had several days of heat in the upper 30s C. and summer drought. All this after a prolonged cool and wet spring. I am thinking I need to start planting ice plants and other succulents to keep things sparkling. That said, the west coast native plants are doing just fine.

[@bethbrown4670]

Yes, I live in Northern Colorado at 5,000 ft. and our summer has been warmer than usual with lots of windy days. The combination of heat and wind can really create havoc for young perennials. Even so, my small vegetable garden did great this year as I have it in 4 x 8 boxes which get watered for a few minutes each day. The young perennials all survived and get watered every other day. At first they seemed stressed, but once they settled into their new home they seemed to need less water. I am trying to plant more drought tolerant perennials so that I don't use as much water, but I find many of my favorites seem to be water loving. Another great way to save water is to plant heat tolerant foundation plants which tend to take up more space in the garden so I don't need as many plants for a nice show.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good point!

[@susanschellberg4509]

Beautiful garden and very helpful tips. In the mid-atlantic US, this summer, heat hasn't been a major problem but frequent flash flooding has been. Discovering what plants suffer in standing water and what ones thrive.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

If it's not one thing in gardening, it's another! Last summer we had twice the normal rainfall, though perhaps not as much flooding as you had.

[@barbkenas5663]

Good advice!

[@ThreeRunHomer]

I guess we all should get used to more extreme weather. More frequent droughts followed by torrential rain. Planting more trees for shade and digging swales to prevent rain from running off when it finally comes are the measures I’m using to try to make my garden resilient.

[@samsohn]

I've just given up this year. Too much 🌞🌞🌞. From Hudson valley NY

[@joh9593]

I'm in Canada, and my family used to water in the morning, and after dark They also watered drooping plants at the base, as needed. it's worked for me, so far. Helps with pest control too.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good tip.

[@Orientalbackyardgarden]

Thanks for all the right questions, at my place it's now rained for the first time in months 🌧️

[@marymary5494]

Super informative, thank you Alexandra. 👌💕

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MultimediaIreland]

Wind for me here in South-East Ireland is the biggest problem. Plus I have clayey loam soil, so it's difficult trying to find coastal plants that like clayey earth, as most coastlines would be deficient in heavier soil.

[@donaldauguston9740]

Alexandra, this was an extremely helpful video. I appreciated the questions you asked of your guest, and I appreciated all of his answers. I learned a great deal and I thank you very much indeed. DA

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@maryanna6302]

Another helpful watering tip can be found in one of your earlier videos: Stephen Ryan's demonstration of how to use swales and berms to water plants on a slope. The plants on my sloped border are doing much better in summer heat since I started using this method.🍃💚

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good to hear!

[@Theisaiahtibbs]

I went back to this for info on heat tolerance and it was so helpful. Also, Harry is handsome 😂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you liked it!!

[@rhonacohen8908]

Thank you so much for this video. It’s such a help to know that we are not alone struggling to keep everything going. I learnt a lot and will definitely be following the advice.

[@pennywilkendorf2925]

Thank you for the wonderful tips!

[@barbaragunder8169]

Absolutely wonderful information; thank you.

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

This was so useful, thank you👍

[@TB-cy1wt]

Very good advice! Thank you!

[@victorianladyone4362]

Thanks so much; I stopped fertilizing and didn't know if that was the right thing to do; nice to know I did one right thing this summer. Experiencing both high heat and drought has not been a fun experience.

[@1Thedairy]

That was so interesting and informative. I find these interviews really helpful so thank you Alexandra for posting. Such a beautiful garden too!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dr.lisastinson8967]

Thank you so much for this video. Very helpful as my little garden suffers here in central France in this heat!

[@willowtree4121]

I'm just back from a week in Southern Ireland. The intensity of the colour of the flowers almost hurt your eyes they don't lack rain over there! Back now to southern England, parched straw like lawn and more brown in the borders than green but I will take on board all your tips and carry on, where would we be without our gardens.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I'm bowled over by the greenness of the West, Ireland and Cornwall.

[@thecrazygardenernz3271]

We live in north Canterbury New Zealand, and it can be very dry and windy during the spring and summer. Like Australians often do, we use all our grey water on the ornamental gardens here.

[@Mikebaldwin007]

A great video Alexandra, Harry has got some good tips, I hope the Hydrangea survives, my Enkianthus struggled when I was away for a week.

[@amybillings9062]

I was wondering about the brown leaves I’ve been seeing on trees in my area (Maine, USA) I never knew that trees would do that in a drought. Very interesting information in this video. Thank you.

[@mcm9619]

important video . Thank you

[@bellarosa009]

Great video!! He was so insightful. One of the best parts of the video was when he was talking about catalpa purpurea!! There’s a huge one at the Chicago botanic garden and no one knew the name of the plant. Now I know as it’s the same one in your video! Thanks much for another great video.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dwoodbury]

You always provide such helpful content. Thank you.

[@upnorth21]

Thank you for your videos, they are always so informative and helpful!

[@argentinagalos6205]

Thank you ,Alexandra for very precious information.I also meet with extremely hot weather for my garden and I was really worried about my hydrangea (the first I planted 2 years ago).It struggled to survive,I fertilized it and it even gave signs of blooming when suddenly the inflorescences dried completely. I suppose it was because of the heat. So, according to the advice, I will continue to water it although I was on the point of moving it to a sunnier place.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I hope it survives! Generally hydrangeas don't like too much sun, so it will be best in a partially shaded or shady place.

[@shawnsg]

Heat waves aren't that uncommon really, but the sort of bizarre thing about this past summers was how widespread it was across the globe. I live in the southern part of the US and we had 20 days in July where the temperature exceeded 100°F.

[@brightbulb9778]

Thank you for this much appreciated information.

[@raphaelahons3479]

Enjoyed muchly, thankyou and blessingsa to you there 💕🌟🍀

[@folee_edge]

Thanks!

[@susancruz729]

In southeast US we see our share of extreme weather. This is the oak leaf hydrangea’s home. Try to start with a small plant, and then keep it deeply watered for two years. Then it should be on its own once it has put down a quite deep root system compared to hydrangea macrophyla. If you put a too large plant under trees, the plant may never be able to catch up.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good point.

[@myinnermagpie]

Garden shade fabric made for plants might help. Deep beds of mulch will really help hold water. In Southern California we mulch quite a bit and use shade cloth occasionally if a plant is struggling in fill sun.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

The use of shade cloth is interesting, because it's not done at all here. But if this sort of a summer continues, we may see it. However, because the UK is very densely populated, we usually get enough shade from nearby buildings and also trees.

[@myinnermagpie]

That makes sense that your plants get a good deal of shade. We use shade cloth as a temporary measure for short times. It’s handy for new plants that aren’t used to full sun. Sometimes I’ll use leaves or twigs to provide some shade for a few days. At any rate gardening tips that work Southern California aren’t going to be especially helpful in England.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

Really appreciate his point about knowing where a plant originally came from to know what conditions it grows under. I have been shifting my plant choices for my patio garden container which is full sun to gradually more tropicals and mediterranean plants. With the quicker onset of heat I had to move some of my plants to my small front yard. No more pansies for me, because the summer heat here in SC is starting even in May. This year, I'm telling myself to focus on the plants that are doing well and cut my losses without being too hard on myself.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good approach!

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden 👩🏻‍🌾🌿

[@missp8373]

This was very informative thank you very much.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ROlson-dx2jc]

Thank you for this great information. It is so helpful.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!