How to save your Sutton Garden during a Drought – What to water and what to not?
South London gardens are currently under increasing pressure from hot, dry weather.
Here is how Sutton gardeners can protect young trees, garden shrubs, vegetables and containers whilst saving water.
If your Sutton garden is looking more like southern Europe than South London this summer, you are not alone.
After exceptionally dry conditions across London and the South East, garden lawns are turning brown, plant containers are drying out and some plants are close to dying.
However, a garden in drought is not altogether a dying garden.
For gardeners in Sutton, the priority during prolonged dry weather shouldn’t just be to keep every inch of the garden green. It should also be, to protect the plants that genuinely need your help, preserve soil moisture and make every drop of water count.
Water restrictions are currently in force across much of the Thames Water area.
Do not try to keep the whole garden green as water is limited. As not every plant needs the same level of attention.
The plants I would inspect first are:
- Newly planted trees
- Trees planted within the last 2-3 years
- Newly planted garden shrubs
- Young hedges
- Recently planted perennials
- Vegetables
- Containers and hanging baskets
- Plants against south – west facing walls
- Plants growing underneath established trees
- Valuable plants
Established shrubs, mature trees and well-established herbaceous plants are generally much more capable of coping with dry weather.
The established garden lawn is also resilient. It may turn completely brown, but that does not mean it has died.
Do not panic when your garden plants wilt in the afternoon
One of the easiest mistakes to make during a heatwave is to think that every wilted plant needs watering immediately.
Look again in the morning.
Garden plants can temporarily droop during the hottest part of the day as they react to heat and water stress. If the foliage recovers overnight, the plant may simply be coping with the conditions.
Persistent wilting, particularly early in the morning, is far more concerning.
Look for:
- Leaves that remain limp
- Curling foliage
- Premature leaf drop
- Yellowing combined with wilting
- Very dry soil well below the surface
- Young trees showing obvious stress
Do not judge soil moisture by its surface alone. Push a finger or trowel into the soil.
A dry crust can hide reasonably moist soil underneath. Equally, soil beneath a wall, hedge or mature tree can be surprisingly dry because less rainfall reaches it.
This is particularly important in Sutton, given the high number of trees, where gardens can differ considerably in soil, drainage and exposure.
Water deeply rather than little and often
When watering is allowed and much needed, the process is simple:
Water less frequently, but more thoroughly.
A quick sprinkle over the surface may make the garden look better for a few hours, but it does little to encourage roots to explore deeper into the soil.
The RHS recommends watering thoroughly so moisture reaches the root area rather than simply wetting the surface.
For established perennials, approximately 15cm (6in) of soil moisture is a useful guide, while young trees and shrubs may need water reaching around 20–30cm (8–12in).
The exact requirement will differ according to the soil and garden plant.
The important thing is to water the roots rather than all the foliage.
Young trees should be your priority
If you have planted a tree recently, put it near the top of your watering list and water first.
A newly planted tree can have a relatively small root system supporting a surprisingly large canopy.
Trees planted during the past 2-3 years deserve particular attention during prolonged dry weather.
When watering is necessary and permitted:
- Apply water around the roots and surrounding soil.
- Water slowly so that it soaks into the ground.
- Avoid simply spraying the leaves.
- Create a shallow soil basin around the tree if necessary to retain water.
- Mulch the surrounding soil.
- Keep mulch away from the trunk.
Large newly planted trees can require watering for several summers while their roots become established.
Don’t wait until a young tree has completely collapsed before checking it.
Mulch is one of the best drought defences
If Hollyoak Gardening Limited were looking after your Sutton garden during a dry summer, mulching would be near the top of my list.
A suitable organic mulch helps reduce water evaporation, keeps the root area cool, suppresses weed growth and gradually improves the soil.
Useful materials include:
- Well-rotted garden compost
- Leaf mould
- Well-rotted manure
- Composted bark
- Fine woodchip
A mulch around 5–7.5cm (2–3in) is often appropriate, depending on the material and planting situation.
Do not pile it against tree trunks or plant stems.
The familiar “mulch volcano” around a tree is something to avoid.
Stop wasting water on your garden lawn
This is one of the easiest changes a gardener can make.
Let an established lawn go brown.
The RHS advises allowing well-established garden lawns to become dormant during a drought rather than wasting water trying to maintain their summer colour.
- Raise your mower height.
- Mow less frequently.
- And if the grass has stopped growing, stop mowing altogether.
- Do not over cut and scalp your garden lawn in an attempt to make it look tidy.
When rainfall returns, an established lawn will often turn green again.
A brown lawn can look alarming.
It isn’t completely dead.
Give containers extra attention.
A plant growing in the ground may have roots several metres away from the stem.
A plant in a pot has nowhere else to go.
Containers have limited soil volume and can heat up quickly, particularly on paving or against south- and west-facing walls.
The most vulnerable to include are:
- Hanging baskets
- Small terracotta pots
- Window boxes
- Shallow troughs
- Newly planted containers
If possible, group your pots together and move vulnerable plants away from intense afternoon sunshine.
Larger pots can also provide a greater reserve of water moisture.
If you have dozens of tiny containers, this drought may be a useful lesson in the future – as fewer, larger pots are generally easier to manage.
Do not fertilise drought-stressed plants
It can be tempting to give a struggling plant a boost with fertiliser.
I wouldn’t.
Fertiliser can encourage fresh, lush growth, which then requires additional water.
During drought, the priority is survival rather than producing a flush of soft new growth.
Wait until conditions improve and plants have resumed healthy growth before returning to your normal feeding regime.
Remove weeds, but do not dig unnecessarily
Weeds are hungry for moisture.
Bindweed, couch grass, ground elder, dandelions and weeds can all take water away from plants you actually want.
So remove them.
But avoid repeatedly digging dry borders.
Unnecessary digging disturbs the soil and exposes more moisture to evaporation.
Hand-weeding followed by mulching is a better approach during a drought.
Protect plants from South London’s hottest spots
A garden beside a south-facing brick wall can experience very different conditions from an open lawn.
The same applies to:
- West-facing fences
- Paved courtyards
- Sheltered gardens
- Small urban gardens surrounded by buildings
- Brick, stone and paving absorb and reflect heat.
Where possible, move exposed and vulnerable containers temporarily into lighter shade.
Do not suddenly move a shade-loving plant into full sun.
The answer is not simply “more shade” but the right amount of protection for each plant.
Do not decide what has died yet
This is possibly the most important advice of all.
Wait.
Drought can cause plants to shed leaves, stop flowering, curl their foliage and die back above ground.
Some will recover.
Before removing a woody plant, gently scratch a small section of stem with your fingernail.
Green tissue underneath is encouraging.
Brown, dry tissue is not as promising.
But check several stems before making a decision.
Once meaningful rainfall returns, give plants time to respond.
Your Sutton Garden drought priority list
If this were a South London garden we were maintaining, I would work through it in this order:
- Check recently planted trees.
- Check newly planted shrubs and hedges.
- Investigate soil moisture below the surface.
- Prioritise genuinely stressed plants.
- Move vulnerable containers out of intense afternoon heat.
- Stop routinely watering established lawns.
Raise the lawn mower height.
- Remove weeds competing with valuable plants.
- Mulch suitable borders and containers.
- Capture rainwater wherever possible.
- Avoid fertilising stressed plants.
- Avoid heavy pruning.
Wait for proper rainfall before deciding what has died.
The overall aim isn’t a perfect-looking garden.
It is a living garden.
Brown grass, drooping leaves and reduced flowering may simply be signs that the garden is waiting for better conditions.
During a drought, survival matters more than how it looks.
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