Dealing with drought in the garden

There are many things that gardeners can do to prepare for periods of drought, such as conserving rainwater, mulching beds and borders and choosing drought-tolerant plants.

But if you haven’t already taken these steps, what is the best way to cope with drought? Follow our practical advice, including tips on watering plants, below.

Let your lawn go brown

An established lawn, with a healthy root system, will withstand periods of drought. When grass turns brown it looks like the whole lawn has died, but it will recover once rains return.

If your lawn is still green and in active growth, adjusting your mowing regime can help. Raise the height of cut and let clippings fall (set your mower to cut the clippings small if possible).

Autumn, when parched lawns start to green up again, is the time for restorative maintenance. Give your lawn an autumn boost, with the help of our action plan.

Guide to summer watering

Plants’ ability to withstand drought can vary enormously. Prioritise less established plants and those showing clear signs of stress. Beyond that it pays to know which plants need regular watering and which can survive without it.

Our guide to watering plants in summer lists:

• Plants to water every day or two
• Plants to water once a week
• Plants to water once a fortnight
• Plants to avoid watering during drought

Follow our guide to watering plants during a drought

It’s worth noting that flowers produce less nectar in times of drought, so keeping your plants watered will help ensure that bees and other pollinators don’t suffer.

Water plants effectively

A good soaking every 10 days is sufficient for many plants during a drought. In general it’s better to water less often, but to water thoroughly when you do.

Watch Alan Titchmarsh’s video guide to watering effectively, including advice on the best time of day to water and how to ensure water reaches the roots, where it’s really needed.

Video: watering plants effectively

Keep up with weeding

A weed is simply any plant in a bed, border or pot that you didn’t plant deliberately and that you don’t want. Weeds compete with cultivated plants for moisture, light and nutrients so keeping on top of your weeding routine helps ensure water goes where it’s most needed.

Follow our practical advice on weeding:

• Weed seedling identifier
• Weeding without chemicals
• 10 uses for nettles

Holiday-proof your garden

If you're lucky enough to have saintly, plant-loving neighbours then they might be happy to keep your garden watered while you're on holiday. If not, you can fall back on our practical care plans:

• Prepare your garden before going on holiday
• Holiday-proof your patio pots
• Holiday care for houseplants
• How to install an automatic watering system

Prepare your garden for future droughts

If you were caught out by hot weather this year and your plants suffered, don't despair. Minimise damage caused by future droughts by taking pre-emptive action:

• Save and store rainwater in your garden
• Conserve water by mulching with organic matter
• Find out where to apply mulch
• Choose drought-tolerant plants to grow