As the Australian summer heats up, the desire to enjoy our outdoor spaces often clashes with the daunting list of garden chores. Celebrated gardening expert Charlie Albone offers a refreshing perspective, arguing that a thriving summer garden doesn't require endless toil. Instead, he advocates for a few strategic, well-timed actions that protect your plants and free up your weekends for relaxation.
Master the Art of Watering and Mulching
The cornerstone of summer garden care is not watering more, but watering better. Albone emphasises deep, infrequent watering to encourage roots to grow downwards into cooler, more moisture-retentive soil. He recommends doing this job early in the morning when evaporation rates are at their lowest, giving foliage time to dry before nightfall. This method builds resilience in lawns, garden beds, and potted plants, helping them withstand heatwaves.
Equally crucial is applying a generous layer of mulch. Albone suggests topping up to about 75mm thick if you haven't since spring. This layer acts as a protective blanket, cooling the soil, drastically reducing water evaporation, and suppressing thirsty weeds. It's an investment that makes your garden far more forgiving if you miss a watering session or go away for a few days.
Adopt a Gentle Approach to Pruning and Lawn Care
When it comes to garden beds, summer is a time for light maintenance, not major renovations. Regular deadheading of spent flowers prolongs blooming and prevents plants from wasting energy on seed production. A light trim for fast-growing shrubs maintains tidiness without stimulating soft, water-demanding new growth. Albone's advice for stressed plants is simple: leave them be and let them focus on survival.
Lawns require a shift in mindset. Resist the urge to mow short. Longer grass shades its own roots, stays cooler, and conserves water. Albone advises raising your mower blades by a notch or two and mowing less frequently. While the result may look less manicured, the lawn will stay greener for longer. Feed lawns lightly with a liquid fertiliser, as heavy granular feeds can stress grass in extreme heat.
Pots, Feeding, and Embracing Imperfection
Container plants are the most vulnerable in summer, drying out and heating up rapidly. Albone recommends grouping pots together to create a beneficial microclimate that reduces water loss. Moving them into light shade during heatwaves can be a game-changer. Always check if the potting mix has become hydrophobic; if water runs straight through, soak the pot slowly to rehydrate the mix fully.
Feeding should be gentle. Over-fertilising promotes soft growth that demands more water and attracts pests. Albone prefers using liquid feeds at half-strength every few weeks to sustain flowering plants and vegetables without overstimulating them.
Finally, Albone champions one of the most important summer gardening principles: accepting imperfection. Lawns may brown, flowering may pause, and some plants will simply rest until autumn. This is normal. The goal is not to force peak performance but to help your garden hold steady, emerging healthy on the other side of the season. True summer gardening success is measured by the time spent enjoying the shade and beauty you've created, not by hours of labour.
