Heat waves and how to protect your garden...

We're currently experiencing unseasonably hot weather for May in the PNW. Temperatures jumped by 10C+ very rapidly and your plants may have difficulty acclimatizing to the change.

The rapid increase may stress or damage plants, especially seedlings and newly-planted annuals or veggie starts. Anything that’s been transplanted recently will definitely be vulnerable and should be hand-watered every couple of days. Hydrangeas and rhodos that get a lot of sun can wilt or scald quickly.

What to watch for:

Drooping, wilting, crinkling or browning foliage.

If you notice any of these, you should provide additional water (early morning or early evening is best) and possibly rig up some shade protection. 

Things you can do:

• if plants are showing signs of stress, water daily in the early morning, and again in the early evening if they are wilting through the day. 
• group containers in a shady spot and water daily in the early morning, and again in the early evening if needed.
• Plant trays turned upside down over small seedlings will provide valuable shade.
• Use shade cloth, umbrellas, upside down lawn chairs, or whatever else your creative mind can think up to shade plants that are suffering from the heat.