How much will you miss outdoor gardening in the next few months?

I am glad you are pleased!

These last weeks taught us a few lessons; the drought was so intense and the apparent damage so severe that we were making plans for transforming the garden into alleyways of gravel framing banks of pots, rather like the photo below, but all over … I am glad we held our nerve (and horses) because, when the rain arrived, the ensuing recovery was incredibly fast: a dramatic and convincing demonstration that, indeed, Johnsons’ grass (originally recommended to us, I believe, by @pete ) is as resilient as can be. Despite general scepticism, I decided last autumn to switch to their so-called luxury variety; the packet suggests that it copes better with drought (“Tolerance to Drought: 4/5”), shaded areas (“Suitability for Shaded Areas: 4/5”), and requires little maintenance “Maintenance Required”: 2/5”); I was doubtful but proved wrong.

The only drawback is that it is really difficult to obtain up-to-date packets; currently, most shops stock boxes with a sell-by-date of July 2024! It is said that germination rate decreases by about 30%/year … Do you think the prices decrease accordingly? Do they just!

In conclusion: if you want to try for a fine, velvety, lawn, don’t be put off or discouraged: those seeds may test your patience when germinating, but they do work really well.

A quick comment on the photo posted yesterday: the angle is such that the height of the grass hides patches that are still in recovery, while the photo below (of the flowers in pots) shows – at middle left – an area where seedlings are taking hold and still showing a lot of earth:

15th August 2025 (all flowers in the square are in pots):

 

Several droughts. An early autumn. Our chestnut weeps summer’s departure, covering the green with hazel-copper tears; a premature farewell that leaves a blaze across the sky, quickens its step towards a much-anticipated spring.

 

Our garden (the lawn in particular) is besieged by nocturnal attacks from demented squirrels: their seasonal instinct tells them to dig numerous holes all over the place, whilst some aberration makes them forget to put anything in them; they then forget that they haven’t put anything in them, they even forget the holes they have made, and therefore dig other holes to try and find what they did not bury in the first place; presumably disappointed and bemused, they abandon the sad result of their devastation to enjoy the sleep of the unjust … An acquaintance said “But they are only being squirrels!” I wanted to say (but refrained) “What then were those creatures you had Rentokil exterminate for you at great expense in your back garden, were they not just being cockroaches? They said “Ah, but squirrels don’t come into your house!” … Well, actually, if you let them, they do!

Someone tells me that two tablespoons of chili powder dissolved in one gallon of water and sprayed along the periphery of the garden would deter those rats in disguise from crossing what, allegedly, would act as the proverbial ring of fire protecting the innocent from a fate worse than death.

Being rather sceptical about it, I would like to ask if anyone has achieved positive results with this strategy? Or, for that matter, from the use of ultrasound devices?

 

You could try putting up several bird feeders @LawnAndOrder, with swing ropes between them, that will keep them off your lawn and provide some amusement .

 

Do you want to change the entire lawn to gravel, @LawnAndOrder ?
Gravel is next to tarmac the worst you can have nearby. When I came into my garden in these warmer, sunny days (we never get more than 32c), the gravel area which covers concrete underneath, was much hotter than the beds. If your garden is in full sun, you might have the issue that it heats up the area even more.
In Germany, they want to forbid using gravel in gardens and front gardens, not only because of the wildlife unfriendliness, but also gravel heats up even more with the result that rain evaporates before it reaches the ground.
This is my suspicion what happened this summer in North Wiltshire with all the solar panels. I read recently in a newspaper that a government (can't remember if it was the UK or German) want to study the impact of solar panels in an industrial extend (as we have in Wiltshire) on rain clouds, because the air above solar panels is much warmer.

From It's too hot!!!!
Not surprisingly the coolest temperature taken was the surface water of a large pond, which was exactly 40 degrees, the same as the air temperature. The next coolest surface in full sun was that of green grass on a sports field, which measured 45.65°. Dry grass on the same field was 51.5°. Green grass growing near gravel was 52.15°, whilst dry grass next to gravel was surprisingly 62.2°. Dry grass further away from the gravel was cooler. Shaded turf near concrete was 47.2° whilst concrete in shade was 49.8°. Gravel in full sun was 77.78° and grey concrete on a tennis court reached an amazing 78.27°, with concrete surfaces around a house in full sun 74.75°. Fake grass did not fair much better reaching 66.95°.

 

My gravel paths have proven excellent seed germination sites for both wanted and unwanted plants, especially hellebores.

 

This is data from Australia @simone_in_wiltshire do you have similar measurements from UK or Germany.
I'm sure the basic data is correct, but would be interested to see figures from the UK/Europe as Australia gets a lot hotter than we do.

 

Nigel, I just took the first link that had figures in. Since it doesn’t depend on the continent, gravel is gravel at the end and they used 40c outside temperature, it tells at least that gravel is hot.
I remember to have seen reports in German newspapers where they mentioned the huge increase in gravel front gardens and the rise of the average temperature. The temperature they mentioned was 70c.
Seems to be forbidden in many areas in Germany:
In welchen Bundesländern Schottergärten verboten sind | wetter.com

 

Thank you for that, you are absolutely right. The operative word in my “the drought was so intense and the apparent damage so severe that we were making plans” was “were”; we no longer are contemplating that option. If you look at my post of the 15th of August, you will see that the lawn bounced back. Good old nature! We just had to hold our nerve and learn the lesson. The pity (and irony) is that, in this latitude, lawns are at their worst when you really want them to be at their best, but there it is, good years/bad years, like oenologists, we need to keep one eye on the sky and the other on the land, and adapt. I take on board what you say, which can only strengthen my resolve.

This is the lawn at the moment, which only reinforces your point (the only remembrance of things past is the level of the pond):

 

That's a very impressive lawn and lovely garden @LawnAndOrder .

 

Yes, we have had similar thoughts in the past. A couple of years ago, when even the RHS were promoting drought tolerant Mediterranean type gardens , then we had a very wet autumn and winter. Plants were at more risk from drowning than drought. My grass is currently more like chopped straw at the moment. Today we are finally getting a reasonably good amount of rain, the first "proper rain" in many months. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the grass to recover.

 

Always nice to receive a 'thumbs-up' from a fellow gardener, thank you!

 

It will probably do so quite quickly, especially if you have been able to spike your lawn. For what it’s worth, for the first time last autumn I took the plunge and, despite adverse advice, started using Johnsons’ Luxury Lawn seeds and have been impressed by both its germination rate and recovery from drought. The only downside is that the boxes available at the moment were packaged in July 2024. When I mentioned this in the shop, they gave me two for one, so I bought two and received four. The word is that seed deteriorates at the rate of 30%/year, but with these I have not experienced this; a lot depends on how you proceed and how moist and protected you keep the seeds. For repairs and so on, one of the biggest chores always was the night protection, then I discovered (thanks to a fellow forumer) the use of fleeces which take a few seconds to put down and take off, that changed both our lives and those of the pigeons!

 

Beware not just the Jabberwock, oh no, and be very afraid of Poa Annua

A recipe against disaster:

Under magnification, the two seedheads (below) of Poa Annua were seen to hold just under one hundred seeds; that would be a potential of around 70 (seventy) new plants in your lawn for next spring (70% is a conservative estimate; they are incredibly successful); but to this you can add the plants these will produce between now and mid-October, the cumulative effect being closer to a thousand new plants for next spring.

In the same way that, in autumn, you would spend a few minutes a day collecting fallen leaves (three minutes twice a day, rather than allowing them to accumulate for a week and then having to spend forty five minutes at a stretch), you might consider allocating a few minutes a day during September/October, locating emerging poa annua, and pulling them out while ensuring that the roots follow, as this will prevent what will otherwise, by next May, have become a veritable infestation.

Method:

The plant on the right (illustrated below) measures 13cm; that is where the treachery lies and how they escape capture: in reality, the seed-head is about 12cm away from the root because the plant crawls horizontally where it hides and is entangled under the grass.

If you just pinch the seed-head and pull, the stem will remain caught , the root will remain and continue its proliferation.

Therefore, pinch the seedhead between thumb and forefinger and pull upwards SLOWLY, disentangling the stem until the tension has reached the spot where the plant emerges; bring your fingers right down to the soil and again pull as slowly as necessary until you feel the root “give” (moist soil makes this easier) and pull out the entire root, taking care not to drop any of the seeds caught between your fingertips.