505: Summer SOS: holiday-proof your garden, midsummer planting guide, a giant bug hunt

505: Summer SOS: holiday-proof your garden, midsummer planting guide, a giant bug hunt

From Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

July 30, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode provides tips for maintaining gardens during summer vacations, planting ideas for high summer, and a bug hunt for stag beetles.

If you’re going away this summer and are worried about your garden RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter shares some top hacks for ensuring your plants survive the heatwaves while you’re away. But if you’re staying at home and feel inspired to give your garden a revamp for all those summer BBQs, RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell explains what you can still plant in high summer for maximum impact. If you’re entertaining children this summer – or you’re still full of wonder for the natural world – David Wembridge from The People's Trust for Endangered Species’ talks about a nationwide search for the gentle giants - stag beetles. And finally, the jobs – we’ll share key things you can do in the next week in the garden. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Guy Barter, Nick Turrell, David Wembridge Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring Links: PTES the Great Stag Beetle Hunt Info on powdery mildew Drought resistant gardening

People in this episode

Host: Gareth Richards

Guests: Guy Barter, Nick Turrell, David Wembridge

Topics covered

  • garden care
  • summer planting
  • bug hunting
  • heatwave tips
  • children's activities

Keywords

  • garden hacks
  • midsummer planting
  • stag beetles
  • heatwave gardening
  • summer BBQs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Horticultural Society, The People's Trust for Endangered Species

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