With , May has already broken records with the thanks to its sweltering temperatures. On Thursday, as well as the warmest start to May on record for the UK.

“With the temperature at Kew Gardens reaching 28C and still climbing, it is now officially the warmest start to May on record for the UK. The previous May 1st record high temperature was 27.4C at Lossiemouth in in 1990,” a post shared on X read.

Although temperatures may be dropping, . Luckily, former royal gardener Jack Stooks has shared his top tips when it comes to helping our gardens thrive over the summer – particularly when temperatures heat up.

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While it might be tempting to give the lawn a trim when the sun’s shining, cutting it when it’s too hot isn’t advisable. “You want to forgo cutting for a week or two so that the grass keeps growing by itself, rather than depleting it. Wait until you have some moisture back in the soil,” explains Jack, speaking to SEO experts Big Fat Links (bigfatlinks.com).

With hotter , it’s important to keep plants hydrated. However, if possible avoid watering when temperatures are at their highest as this can cause water to evaporate and prevent the moisture from staying in the ground.

“I always stick to that and water at night. You also won’t be wasting as much water. Roses and peonies will be blooming soon, and you will find that if you water the flowers, they will fall apart,” he says.

As well as watering plants, feeding them can be important too. However, in extreme heat it’s advisable to skip feeding until temperatures return to cooler levels.

While it may seem counterintuitive, Jack explains: “When it’s dry, you don’t want to start feeding plants because it can also burn them; you want to feed them when it is wet. You can forgo this for the time being. If you haven’t mulched around the ground, this will keep moisture in and is also a weed suppressant, so you can also use this time to weed your garden.”

The sun might make you want to spend more time in your garden and make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible, but holding off from planting anything new can help save you a tremendous amount of effort, says Jack.

“People will be planting bedding plants and potted plants for the summer, but they will constantly need attention and watering morning and night. So, if you’re planting anything right now, it’s only bedding plants, and they will need a lot of water. I would suggest not putting them in the borders yet but putting them in pots and checking them morning and night,” he says.

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