One thing we’ve learnt since moving to France is that gardening here can be very different from gardening in the UK.

Long periods without rain, high summer temperatures and unpredictable weather can quickly leave even well-established gardens looking tired.

If you’ve recently looked out at your lawn and wondered why it’s turning brown, don’t panic. In many cases, that’s perfectly natural. Most lawns will recover once cooler weather and rainfall return.

The important thing is knowing where to spend your time and energy.

🌱 Water Smarter, Not More

Many people water little and often, but that’s actually one of the least effective ways to help your plants.

Instead, give borders, shrubs and newly planted areas a really deep soak every few days. This encourages roots to grow deeper into the soil, making plants much more resilient during hot weather.

If you’ve recently sown new grass—as we have at home—it does need more frequent watering while it’s establishing, but once it’s growing well, deeper watering is usually better.

🌸 Mulch Is Your Best Friend

Adding bark, compost or other organic mulch around your plants helps the soil hold onto moisture for much longer.

It also keeps weeds down, improves the soil over time and means less work later in the season.

🌿 Don’t Let Weeds Take Over

While lawns may slow down in dry weather, weeds often seem determined to keep growing!

Removing them before they flower and set seed will save hours of work later in the year.

✂️ Be Careful With Pruning

Heavy pruning isn’t usually a good idea during very hot weather, but removing dead or damaged growth and giving hedges a light tidy can keep everything looking neat without putting unnecessary stress on plants.

🏡 Looking After Holiday Homes and Gîtes

One of the biggest challenges for holiday home owners is arriving to find a garden that’s become overgrown—or worse, dried out completely.

Regular visits for watering, lawn maintenance, weeding and general garden care can help keep everything looking welcoming for family, friends and guests throughout the summer.

🔨 It’s Not Just Gardening

Tim also helps with plenty of outdoor jobs that often get forgotten:

• Garden tidy-ups
• Hedge cutting
• Lawn care
• Planting and flowerbeds
• Wood moving and stacking
• Petit bricolage
• Gîte maintenance
• Outdoor repairs and seasonal jobs

Sometimes it’s those small jobs that make the biggest difference.

🌼 Enjoy Your Garden This Summer

Your garden should be somewhere you enjoy—not another job on the list.

Whether you live here all year, own a second home or manage a gîte, a little maintenance now can make all the difference later in the summer.

Based between Royère-de-Vassivière and Vallière, Tim provides friendly, reliable gardening services throughout the local area.

English spoken – Français bienvenu aussi.

If you’d like a hand getting your garden back into shape, we’d be delighted to hear from you.