Heatwaves, houseplant hacks, hot new hostas, and more!

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Home & Garden, Hobbies, Leisure

4.3 • 692 Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the UK experiences some of the hottest May weather on record, we share practical tips for helping your garden cope during heatwaves. And if the soaring temperatures have you seeking shade indoors, we’ll hear from houseplant experts about their favourite indoor plants and their advice for tackling common houseplant problems. We also catch up with Chris Potts from Sienna Hostas to discover a breakthrough in hosta breeding that has produced the first truly red-leaved cultivar Hosta RED NINJA in the genus. And with the warm weather set to continue, why not visit an RHS Garden this weekend? We head to RHS Garden Bridgewater, where curator Tracy Snell tells us more about the transformation of this remarkable historic garden as it celebrates its fifth birthday this month. Plus a tribute to horticultural legend Matt Biggs, who sadly died last week. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Natalia (Conservatory Archives), John (Hugo & Green), Alice (Botanica Studios), Chris Potts (Sienna Hosta), Tracy Snell, Tim Upson

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, garden lovers. Did you know, RHS members can now refer a friend and get rewarded.
0:08.4	It's simple. If you're an RHS member, just invite a friend or family member to join. When they sign up,
0:14.4	you'll both receive a £10 voucher for RHS plants. 10 pounds for you, 10 pounds for them.
0:20.4	RHS members enjoy unlimited visits to five
0:23.3	RHS gardens, access to over 230 partner gardens, discounted RHS flower show tickets,
0:30.3	the garden magazine and personalised gardening advice. Share the joy of gardening and start earning
0:36.8	rewards today.
0:38.3	Visit rhs.org.uk forward slash refer to get started.
0:46.2	Spring hasn't so much slipped into summer as burst headlong into it.
0:55.0	Bank holiday weekend arrived with blazing sunshine, soaring temperatures, and gardens
1:00.0	everywhere suddenly exploding into life.
1:03.0	But with all this warmth and light comes a few important jobs to help plants cope with sudden heat.
1:08.0	Watering is the main thing and there are two really good principles to keep in mind.
1:12.3	Keep it early and keep it low. So keeping it early means water early in the day. The RHS did some
1:18.9	studies a few years ago and actually if you water in the morning, it's way more efficient and way
1:24.0	better for your plants and if you water in the evening. This is because if you water in the morning,
1:28.3	the plants are going to be able to use it during the day,
1:31.3	putting it on exactly at the point when they're going to be able to make use of it
1:35.3	and grow away nicely. If you put it on in the evening,
1:38.3	it will have time to drain away overnight, some will evaporate,
1:42.3	and also you can help the slugs, which like this kind of moist
1:46.4	atmosphere under the cover of darkness to come and munch your precious plant. And then keeping
	...

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