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After the drought and extreme heat conditions in July, the garden can become “distressed”. Don’t panic!

Lawns will recover. Most will be brown, but if you have patches of weeds which worry you, just use a liquid weedkiller in those areas. For feeding, best to wait until the lawn naturally revives in the autumn and spread a slow-release nutrient then to strengthen the grass during the winter.

Some shrubs can give up after a drought. If leaves are brown and crispy and branches break easily, dig up and replace in early autumn, ideally with a more drought-resistant plant. Many may just be wilting and a good dousing with rain or a few cans of water should be enough to help them recover. Keep weeding as they are thirsty too and will soak up valuable moisture.

Think about shading plants, especially in pots on patios, when hot weather reappears. Just as frost can cause winter damage, extreme heat can distress shade-lovers such as ferns and hostas.

Trim back untidy hedges, especially conifers. Cut back perennials where they have finished flowering or are flopping over. Some, such as hardy geraniums and alchemilla mollis will give a second, fresh flush of colour in early autumn.

It looks like being a good harvest this year for most garden crops. Keep picking regularly to encourage another crop later in the summer. The same applies to dead-heading bedding plants. A quick haircut and feed and you will be rewarded with colour until mid- September. By then, thoughts will turn to autumn violas and planting spring bulbs. How quickly the seasons change !

David Hogg Buckland Nurseries