In the garden: Plant trees to keep you cool in heatwaves

The garden is looking great at the height of summer, with flower colour exploding in the herbaceous borders.

This is the time we anticipate the most when the days are short and the temperatures low. We dream of abundant foliage and flower to lift our spirits and we work towards this peak of growth for most of the year.

Nurturing the soil, sowing the seeds, watering the plants, and awaiting the harvest - the reward for all of our hard work is here.

Now is a time of plenty in the garden with tomatoes, courgettes, and cucumbers all beginning to ripen in the glasshouse and polytunnel, carrots, beetroot and swedes coming out of the ground at their best, salad crops producing faster than we can eat them, and squashes reaching for the stars as they flower and start to form fruit, spreading their stems and large leaves out over the soil as they go.

It is a time to enjoy all of the hard graft that has gone into the garden so far this year.

The herbaceous display is at a crescendo, with lots of old-fashioned favourites like phlox, hollyhock, nepeta, geranium and sweet peas creating a delightful combination of colours right now.

Mulching the soil well in springtime will help plants to cope during dry spells without watering, and if this has been problematic this year, then it is something to consider for next year to keep stress levels for plants and gardeners to a minimum during dry and sunny weather.

Once the soil dries out, then it is too late to effectively apply a thick layer of mulch - doing so before the soil dries out will help to retain moisture in the soil and keep plant roots cool.

Severe cutting back of herbaceous perennials during a dry spell is not to be recommended, as it exposed the soil and plant to the heat of the sun and will result in burning up of the plant, unless it is watered regularly.

We need to help plants to adapt to the changing weather conditions which we experience, and providing growing conditions which will enable them to survive and grow independently is the ideal.

The garden has been a refuge in the recent warm spell, and there is no doubt that plants have a cooling effect and make life more bearable during intense heat.

The contrast between standing on tarmacadam or a concrete paved surface and standing beneath the canopy of a tree, on a lawn or amongst plants cannot be denied, and we need to get planting, particularly in urban areas, if we are to endeavour to counteract the overheating of our planet.

When planting a tree, it is important to consider the environment in which it is being planted. If we want a tree or any plant to successfully grow and establish, it is important that we understand what it needs to grow and thrive so that we give it the best chance to succeed.

What is the soil type, sandy or waterlogged, acid or alkaline? Is the location sheltered or exposed to the elements? What is the aspect, sunny or shaded, morning or evening sun?

A good resource for helping to choose the right tree for the right location is The Essential Tree Selection Guide, by Henrick Sjoman and Arit Anderson, which looks at what trees needs are, what they provide in terms of pollen, pollution tolerance, carbon capture, shading, and rainfall capture.

Putting all of the information together will ensure that trees that will thrive and survive are planted in places where they will provide the function needed most in that particular place.

There will be a logical approach to more successful tree planting in the future, it is hoped. With increased urbanisation all over the world, we need to plan for the future and get greening our urban spaces so that they are more comfortable and enjoyable spaces to live in, with the added advantage of being more connected with nature.

Happy tree planning, and happy planting going forward!

Plant of the Week

Dry shade is one of the trickiest spots in the garden to get something growing, and a good shrub for just that spot is Deutzia setchuenensis var corymbiflora, or the Chinese Snow Flower.

It is native to south-western and south-eastern China, as its common name suggests, where if can be found growing in forests and mountain slopes.

Its white, star-shaped, lightly scented flowers provide a bright splash in a dark corner of the garden and they will tolerate dry shade under established trees quite well.

It can get up to two metres tall with a spread of about 1.5 metres, and has a graceful arching growth habit, more upright than spreading. Flowering from early summer into October, with white flowers borne in clusters.

This particular Deutzia develops attractive peeling bark as it matures, a worthwhile characteristic in the winter garden.

In addition to this, it has deciduous foliage that develops some good autumn colour.

It will grow on a variety of soils, tolerating dry and poor soils and doing best in fertile free draining soil.

If the soil is poor, then providing some compost in the planting hole and mulching and watering well in the first year as the plant established itself will help to ensure success.