Heatwave killing garden

[gardeningnovice5]

Large patches of my lawn are yellow and half dead. The soil in the flower beds is as hard as a rock and cracked (it’s clay). Should I water the lawn and the actual soil around the plants (as well as the plants themselves)? Or is that just a waste of water? Also, should I use a fork to break up the hard clumps of soil and turn it over?

Same here! First in months and more to come tonight. It was lovely to hear it.

Massive downpours here, too. I swear the lawn look greener already!

Heavy downpours but very brief and my water butts have taken only an inch or two of water.☹️
Agree about the lawn looking better almost immediately! Wonder if it is wishful thinking?😆

Same here but down pour which was hard has barely touched the soils

Ive been out to quickly plant some stuff I got yesterday and half a trowels depth down it was dry powdery soil - so I’ve still watered as some plants are in narrow raised beds and my pots still

think it will take a few down pours before soil recovers reasonable moisture levels

I’ve bought some perlite and manure to try helping things along.

I don’t think so, the buttercups suddenly made an appearance, I think they’d practically desiccated!

My water butt pretty much filled up in today's thunder storm! I quickly went out and planted some bits when it cleared. I am concerned about my tomato plant and transfer shock but it looks a little healthier. Hopefully the rain today has made the moisture quite deep and it will start to recover.

I can’t work out why some things are doing well in my garden this year and some things badly. Oddly my hydrangeas are massive and doing very well despite me being rather lax with watering but they are a few years old now and I’m wondering if they’re mature enough to have deep roots. They should be doing as well as they are in the heat and no water. Bulbs were hit and miss this year- my alliums were really disappointing as were a lot of tulips. I lost a lot of hebes a few years ago in the harsh winters but my small replacements are doing well. My exhinacea are normally massive and they’re tiny and despite the heat etc my salivas have barely come up this year. Other years they’ve been impressive.