A dry spell exposes watering habits rather than plant hardiness. Most garden losses in a hot summer follow from watering little and often, which keeps moisture in the top few centimetres of soil and leaves roots with no reason to grow deeper.
Deep and infrequent beats daily
Public horticultural bodies advise soaking the root zone and then allowing the surface to dry before watering again. The aim is to move water below the surface layer where it is lost quickest to evaporation.
Where the water goes
Water applied at the base reaches roots. Water applied over foliage in full sun is largely lost to evaporation and can encourage some fungal problems on susceptible plants.
What to prioritise when supply is limited
- Containers and hanging baskets: no reserve of soil moisture, so they fail first.
- Anything planted within the last two seasons: root systems are still shallow.
- Fruiting vegetables during flowering and fruit set, when water stress reduces yield.
- Established trees, shrubs and lawns last: lawns brown off and recover, they rarely die.
Reducing demand
- Mulch bare soil to slow evaporation and suppress competing weeds.
- Install butts on downpipes; stored rainwater is unaffected by most restrictions.
- Group containers so they shade one another through the hottest hours.
- Check the supplier's current restrictions before assuming a hose is permitted.
Restrictions are set locally and change during a season. The supplier's own notice is the authoritative source; regional guidance published in spring may already be out of date.
