How do you protect your flower beds from the Texas heat? Maintaining a lush garden as temperatures climb requires planning. Knowing some basic tips of bed and bush maintenance can help you to avoid the heartache of watching your prized blooms wilt in the heat. Take a look at four simple tips for keeping your flower bed flourishing in the summer heat.

1. Be an Early Bird When It Comes to Watering Your Garden

This first tip is the simplest one. Smart gardeners set their alarms. You want to get out early in the morning to water your garden before the heat kicks in. A heat wave can easily dry the surface of the soil to dehydrate the roots by the time afternoon rolls around if you’re not careful. A morning watering routine also protects flowers and plants from heat scald that occurs when leaves are watered directly under sunlight.

2. Use Shade Cloth

Shade cloth can offer partial protection from the sun during heat waves. The trick here is that you want to avoid “suffocating” your greenery with shade cloth. Generally, it’s recommended that you position shade cloth loosely over plants without “enclosing” them. Shade cloth should also be gingerly applied to ensure that it won’t crush plants and flowers.

3. Add Some Mulch

Mulch can provide incredible protection against heat and sunshine that threaten to dry out the soil in your flower bed. In fact, mulch makes your garden much more forgiving if you skip a day of watering because it reduces water evaporation. If you have heat concerns, apply a layer of mulch around your plants to prevent evaporation. Walking into a store in search of mulch can be intimidating for the average homeowner. 

One tip to remember is that light-colored mulches are better during heat waves because they reflect sunlight to keep the surface of your soil cooler. Darker mulches might actually attract the sun to your garden beds.

4. Rethink Your Landscaping Plan

The truth is that there may not be much you can do to save your flower beds from a heat wave if your yard is void of natural shade. Many homeowners create oasis-like yards where flowers and vegetable plants can thrive all summer long simply by changing up the landscaping. Some tips for creating a shaded yard that’s more hospitable to flower beds include:

  • Planting inland sea oats, frostweed, cedar sage, Turk’s cap, and other shade-providing plants and shrubs that look stunning in a yard.
  • Strategically keep grass a few inches higher than normal to create a shade barrier around your garden.
  • Building a pergola that is covered with honeysuckle, grapes, climbing prairie rose, or other climbing plants that can provide natural shade.

Try to plant native flowers and shrubs whenever possible to boost the local ecosystem. You can also consider “companion planting” as a way to protect your flower garden from pests, encourage pollination, and create natural shade. This technique involves planting tall heat-tolerant plants around plants and flowers that are fragile in the sun.

Don’t Struggle With a Wilting Flower Garden; Let the Pros at Executive Lawn Care Help

At Executive Lawn Care, we specialize in bed and bush maintenance to help keep your landscape looking lush all year round. You deserve to enjoy your lawn! Let our lawn care experts help you get a handle on the tough task of protecting greenery from the harsh Texas heat. Schedule a consultation with the most trusted Dallas lawn care team. Contact Executive Lawn Care today!



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