Melbourne summers bring heatwaves that can devastate unprepared gardens. Days above 40°C stress even tough plants, and consecutive hot days without relief cause the most damage. Here’s how to keep your garden alive through Melbourne’s summer.
Survival Strategies
- Water deeply, less often — Deep soaking 2–3 times per week encourages deep root growth. Daily shallow watering creates weak, surface-level roots.
- Water early morning — Before 10am minimises evaporation and complies with water restrictions.
- Mulch everything — 75–100mm of mulch reduces soil temperature and evaporation dramatically.
- Provide temporary shade — Shade cloth over vulnerable plants during extreme heat events.
- Raise mowing height — Longer grass shades roots and retains more moisture.
See maintenance services or irrigation installation.
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