Webs, Weeds and Wisdom | Try to throw a little shade

When it’s really hot and really cold your garden will show you exactly what is not working and what is working. Take notice and make changes accordingly.

If there is no shade in summer and too much shade in winter, our gardens are not working to their best ability.

Now is the perfect time to potter around your garden, especially in the middle of the day. Where are the cool spots and hots spots and what changes can be made to rectify areas not performing as they should be? 

Many gardens with north and west facing aspects suffer from extreme heat in the summer; this can be fixed with a few strategically planted trees.

Courtyards, as lovely as they are, can be a heat trap if not planted properly.

During extreme weather times, you still want your garden to feel like an oasis, somewhere you want to be. Gardens need to be a sanctuary, somewhere that makes you feel happy.

Shade, shelter and protection are critical to create the ideal environment for your garden. This can be added to your garden in the form of plants, trees and shrubs, but they must be planted thoughtfully to optimise the good points and minimise the bad points of your garden.

All gardens have a hot side, a windy side, a cold side and, unavoidably, a side with utilities. Plants can be used to enhance these spaces as long as you make the right choices, that is, the right plant for the right spot.

If you draw a rough sketch of your garden, showing the main prevailing winds, locate north and where the sun rises and falls in winter and summer (it is quite different) that will give you a good starting point. Don’t forget to include views that you want to enhance and views that you need to block, such as a house close by or something unsightly.

The type and location of shade is also critical. Evergreen shade is not ideal on the northern side of your house as it will make your house to cool in winter. Dense plantings on the windy side of your house will provide shelter. Plant deciduous trees to provide shade in summer and light in in winter.

Other shade providers such as a pergola, covered in a climber, also make wonderful shade. Air is always cooler if it is filtered through leaves and can lower the temperature by up to five degrees.

Unfortunately for us and our gardens, we still potentially, based on historical weather patterns, have six weeks of really hot weather ahead of us. That gives you plenty of planning time for what to plant where for next summer’s heat.

And don’t forget, now is the time to order your bulbs.