What to do with the frazzled perennials?

[FoxandDuck]

We’re based in the South East and last had rain in mid-June and then it was only for a few hours. The shrubs are hanging in there but the perennials - most of which are only in their first year as it’s a new border - are all looking very much the worse for wear. The salvia, guara & penstemon seem to be particularly badly affected. (Well, I say that - I can’t see the ground cover geraniums ever recovering). I’m not sure whether to chop them all back now or whether it’s better to leave them as they are so that, if it does rain and they perk up, they will still have some leaf left.

Watching with interest!

You have my sincere sympathies OP- I am in the same boat generally. Gutted at how my beautiful back garden is currently looking! Shrubs and perennials looking wilted and drooping like never before in over 10 years.

I never usually water plants after their first year in the ground. This year I’m watering everything. Partly because I’m losing plants, and partly for soil health- was interested to learn that drought buggers the soil as well.

I think they need a drink if they are looking that sorry for themselves. Can you use the watering can? Bath ir other grey water? Salvia are generally drought tolerant, but ut is their first year and it's been the driest on record so everything has it's limits.

I was lucky - decided to bring on some new salvia in pots this year before redoing a border. The border redo is now based around what is surviving in this heat - anything frazzled has been removed- including some large mature hydrangeas planted by the previous owner.

I’m now thinking of using pots strategically in the border with the less drought tolerant plants and only very heat hardy plants in the soil for next year.

We are in the South West of France and have lost loads of plants.

We cut them back to the base when they finally die back and we shall see if any come back next year. Our Salvias are doing well though, just the Amistad does flop a bit but a spot water of that and it perks up. Not watered anything else apart from cukes and tomatoes and a few herbs since the end of June

I can’t see the ground cover geraniums ever recovering.
I have a hardy geranium in a pot (a pot, not the ground) that somehow got missed off the watering schedule. It got totally frazzled, burnt to a crisp.
However, my gardening mantra is "give it a go / what's the worst that could happen?" so I watered it and it has recovered.

For each perennial, what might help is to reduce the top a bit and remove anything totally crispy, then give it a whole watering canful of water, around the base and for a good area around it. Water it slowly bit by bit, and let the water sink in before giving more.

I saw that you shouldn't cut back yet. The leaves help cover the ground and keep things from drying out even more.

I can’t see the ground cover geraniums ever recovering
I'm not sure it's possible to kill ground cover geraniums.
Everything else despite a hospipe ban I am throwing some water at them. I can't actually lift a full watering can so it's tediuos and time consuming but every little helps.

I'm trying to keep some alive but tbh have given up on a fair few, its sad

A surprise update is that my Johnson’s Blue geranium has perked into life and burst into flowers! That’s the only cheerful note as everything else is just looking more & more dead. We might have some rain overnight tonight and then again on Wednesday and Thursday. I am not too optimistic about it but it would be wonderful if there were some consecutive days with showers so that it could actually soak into the soil rather than just flood

Im just leaving mine. Unfortunately I bought quite a few new ones this spring, and I will definitely lose a few of them by the looks of it, but otherwise I'm just leaving them all well alone, even though it's painful to see.

I was in b and q yesterday all of their plants looked terrible and desperate for a drop of water

I am currently looking after my tiny garden and that of a holidaying neighbour.
I'm using grey water as much as possible but we don't have a hosepipe ban so I am watering every other day.
I retired 2 years ago and have finally managed to get the garden to look as I have always daydreamed it could, that blowsy English border look you see in Landscape and Country Living! (I live in a miner's terraced house in the Welsh Valleys but one can dream!)
Now it's absolutely desiccated and I could cry
It's too hot to sit out and enjoy the garden most of the time or I'm also desiccated.

Did a pp say don't cut perennials back? Everything looks so sad. I'm planning to read widely over the winter as I am part of a community garden project with young people and the realities of watering are proving to be very difficult in holiday season.

Im thinking of all the passionate gardeners across the world, all dealing with massive changes in conditions.

Sorry, I'm rambling, I had a G&T in the garden as it's wonderfully cool this evening.🍹

You'll be surprised at what comes back when the rains finally come.

I agree. Just hold tight! And don't feed any of them.

So hard isn’t it. I’m just going to wait and see, and keep my fingers crossed.
It’s certainly made me think about focussing on drought resistant plants further future planting as I can’t get anything now that needs a lot of water.

Don’t cut anything back yet. If we have another hot spell, it could do even more damage. Keep watering with a watering can and wait to see what comes up next year. Geraniums are super tough so they will probably be ok.

I've vbeen wondering that. Things like crocosmia and Veronica had about two days of bright flowers weeks ago then shrivelled. I usually just wait for everything to die back but the dead flowers against a backdrop of hydrangea flowers wilted before they fully opened is making me sad.

I’ve been removing obviously dead stems, but for the most part I’m waiting to see whether or how things perk up once it’s rained (fingers crossed!).

I've lost a couple of flowering plants I bought this year, even though I've been watering them with a can. I think the heat has just been too much for such young plants - I bought a beautiful, quite large dahlia and planted in a big tub, but it's gone, a dried up husk. I think it was just too hot. I'm in the SE too. The long established lilies around it have survived.
I've just been cutting off the dried up bits of other plants - most have survived. And watering - hopefully they'll still come back next year - time will tell.
I'm researching drought resistant plants for next year.