House of Stewart Gardens

These are Sea Daffodils (Pancratium maritimum) spotted growing happy as Larry in the sand dunes behind the beach in Alvor, Portugal where we’ve been for a few days. Right plant, right place. Back home, this summer’s heat and drought has been tough on our gardens, but it’s also made it much easier to see what is working with our planting and what isn’t.

Late summer is one the best times to assess a garden because the weaknesses are suddenly obvious. Plants that looked promising in spring may now be struggling and gaps in colour, structure or height have become hard to ignore.

Without taking time to assess the garden now, it is easy to buy more plants impulsively next spring without addressing the real problem.

There is more on how to assess your planting and plan for next year on my blog https://houseofstewartgardens.com/f/why-late-summer-is-the-perfect-time-to-assess-your-planting

For help creating a beautiful planting design with year-round interest, get in touch with [email protected]

I estimate there have been 37 days with temperatures +25C in Surrey since June. Wave after wave of heatwaves that have been tough on our gardens. Lawns have burnt to brown, borders wilted and even established plants are dropping leaves. But it can also teach us a surprising amount about how our gardens really work and how to future proof them.

It’s the perfect time to create a
🥵 Garden Heat Map 🥶.

I always encourage clients about to embark on a garden redesign to walk around their garden at different times of day during sunny weather, so now is the time. Notice where the sun feels most intense, where shade falls and which areas become too hot to sit comfortably. There’s more on what to look for to create a Garden Heat Map in my blog.

https://houseofstewartgardens.com/f/what-your-garden-can-teach-you-during-a-heatwave

NB: rather dodgy image produced by AI to illustrate the point!

Your dream garden starts with a conversation. Get in touch and let’s design a garden for you that enhances every day of your life.
[email protected]

Your dream garden starts with a conversation. Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can create a garden for you that enhances how you live, every day.
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It’s the first full summer for this planting and what a summer. Designed to be largely drought tolerant, and helped with a thick layer of mulch, it’s holding up well in the heat and should continue to look good for weeks to come.

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