How to keep flowers alive in the scorching NJ heat this summer

🌷 Are your flowers dying in New Jersey's heatwave?

🌼 There are ways to save your petaled friends this summer

🌷 One expert offers tips about watering, how much, and when

Is New Jersey’s scorching summer heat killing your backyard plants and flowers?

You pot a flower and water it, only to have it die in the blazing hot sun. So, you buy another one to replace it, and the same thing happens, right?

You’re not alone, but don’t worry. There are some things you can do to save your begonias and impatiens.

Tips to Keep Flowers Alive in NJ’s Summer Heat

One thing to understand is how plants and flowers may respond to heat and drought stress, said Madeline Dinardo, an agricultural agent with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County.

Many of them will curl their leaves to help them conserve moisture. If the leaves are just curling, it does not necessarily mean that the plant is going to die. It might be just how the plant is reacting to the drought stress. However, if the leaf goes totally limp and dies off, then that’s another story, she said.

Mulching can also help retain moisture in the soil. Dinardo suggests using a lightweight organic mulch that won’t wash away.

Don’t ever fertilize during hot, drought conditions. Fertilize in early spring or in the mid to late fall.

“If it’s a perennial plant, when you fertilize after mid-July, you push a lot of new growth, and when we hit the first hard frost in the fall, that new growth is not really hearty enough to get through the winter,” Dinardo said.

Can Over Watering Kill Flowers?

Under-watering and over-watering can be key to keeping flowers and plants alive in the New Jersey heat.

Most plants that grow in New Jersey need about an inch of water a week, Dinardo said. Sometimes, Mother Nature will take care of that for us. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the average rainfall is, and if you find that your plants are not getting that inch of water a week, then supplement by watering yourself.

“The best time of day to water is early in the morning and it’s best to water directly around the base of your plant so the water goes right down into the soil,” Dinardo said.

But how much water varies throughout the state, she added. For example, in the northern part of the state where the soil is more clay-like, residents may need about an inch to an inch and a half of water to get down to a six-inch depth, because that’s where you want the roots to be, she said.

Down by the Jersey Shore where the soil is sandier, you’ll need about a half inch of water to get down to that six-inch depth where the roots are growing, Dinardo advised.

Potted Flowers

Flowers and plants in pots and containers should be watered once or twice a day in the blazing summer heat of New Jersey.

Herbs, vegetables, and flowers in raised beds also need to be watered more often than flowers that are growing in ground soil.

But, it’s important to dig deep in the soil to see if it’s really dry. On the surface, the soil may be dry, but down by the roots, it may not be.

“Believe it or not, a lot of times plants are killed by overwatering, and not necessarily by drought stress. So, you really need to get down in there and feel the soil. If it is dry, then you need to water. But if you dig down a little in the soil, you might find that it is still moist, and it’s not time to water yet,” Dinardo said.

Heat Tolerant Flowers

There are a few species of plants and flowers that grow in New Jersey that are more heat and drought tolerant than others, so you may want to consider planting those in your gardens.

These include succulents like hens and chicks, Dusty Miller, Butterfly Weed, and Lamb’s Ear.

Rhododendrons have a waxy coating on their leaves, which means they can tolerate drought a bit better than other flowers and plants because, again, they curl their leaves to help them maintain moisture.

Hope this helps keep your summer flowers alive. Happy watering!

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