Expert tips for the garden: Despite the heat, do not water constantly
Created: 08/12/2022, 07:00
By: Alexandra Anderka
A number of plants in Brigitte Murla's garden (picture left) do well with little water.
These include roses, iris, cranesbill and daylily.
© Alexandra Anderka
Garden experts give advice on watering properly and recommend robust plants.
Erding
– The heat is scorching from the sky and the hydrangea blossoms are drooping.
"The hydrangeas are having a hard time right now, so it's best to plant them in the east or north-west of the garden," says Paul Hagl, senior manager of the Hagl nursery in Erding.
Only panicle hydrangeas such as Annabell or Limelite would be a little more forgiving.
But they are also stressed in Brigitte Murla's garden, the white flowers are burnt.
The rhododendron draws in its leaves.
"If the heat in our latitudes continues like this, the rhododendron will disappear," predicts the chairwoman of the district association for horticulture and land management (KGL).
The hydrangeas will also have a harder time.
"But they're not going to die out.
They are so beautiful to look at with their plump, colorful flowers, hobby gardeners will always give them a chance.”
If flower lovers are creating a new garden or making changes, heat-resistant plants would definitely be recommended, says the master gardener.
Almost all perennial summer shrubs are suitable.
"They cope well with the hot temperatures," confirms master gardener Hagl.
Sun worshipers include roses, oleanders and dipladenia.
However, the latter two can only be kept in a pot because they would not survive the winter in this country.
Although these plants love the heat, you should be careful when watering, the expert advises: "Water roses only once a week, but then really vigorously."
The oleander doesn't like it so wet either.
“The oleander bushes thrive in full splendor along the Italian motorway, even in hot summers,” Hagl recalls.
Of course, the bushes are deeply rooted, but even with oleander plants in pots, it is enough to water them every two to three days.
"Otherwise they will get yellow leaves," warns Hagl.
watering tips
.
only in the morning
.
not with the shower, but in the root area
.
roses once a week
.
Summer perennials every two to three days, but vigorously
.
not with cold water
.
preferably with rainwater
.
bury small flowerpots next to plants in the ground so that the water can slowly seep from there into the depths
Proper watering is not that easy: Hagl advises against watering in the evening: "Bedding and balcony plants in particular don't like it." At night, the air cools down, creating a humid climate in the beds.
That in turn is the breeding ground for rot.
"It's best to water your flowers in the morning, then the soil has time to dry again in the evening."
He couldn't see at all when the graves in the cemetery were being watered with the shower over the blossoms in the midday heat.
"Always pour the water under the plants, otherwise the flowers will burn."
The roots can also burn if you use a mineral fertilizer in the current heat, as Jella Weist-Geisberger from Garten Geisberger in Isen knows.
The landscape gardener, who also studied landscape architecture, recommends using slow-release fertilizers like horn shavings when it's this hot.
She also knows: "It's better to water it seldom and vigorously." You can also train the plants a little, because: "That's how they learn to root deeper, and that makes them more robust." Once the plants are well rooted, "hold more than you think".
also read
Police confirm death of missing 25-year-old: autopsy of body completed
Mourning for Tobias D.: moving parting words from the girlfriend – "still can't believe it"
The red-leaved, split-leaved Japanese maple has dried up in Brigitte Murla's garden.
© Alexandra Anderka
Murla thinks so too, which is why she only waters selectively, preferably with rainwater.
“Firstly, the plants like it better, secondly, I see it as a responsibility.
If it stays this dry here too, we won't be able to afford to waste groundwater any more in the future.” Murla reveals her irrigation trick: Wherever possible, she digs flower pots with holes in the bottom next to bushes or in flower beds.
She weighs them down with stones and fills them with water.
"This way, the water penetrates deeper into the soil and the roots grow downwards, following the water, which in turn makes them more robust."
All three garden experts agree that it makes sense to equip gardens with frugal shrubs and plants (see box on the left).
The choice of location should also be considered.
Even experts like Murla make mistakes.
She points to a shady bed with hydrangeas.
Despite or because of the natural shade, they let their flowers hang.
“Although the trees all around offer shade, they also prevent the rain from reaching the hydrangeas, which like it wet.
I'll have to change that," she says.
But that's not a problem for Murla: "My garden is always changing anyway."
If you want to get something good out of the heat, Weist-Geisberger has good news for lovers of Mediterranean fruits: "We have already planted the sensitive nectarine." Fig trees would also survive the winter well, once they have rooted.