Summer weather can be unpredictable and hot, dry weather can take a toll on a garden.  How can you help your plants beat the heat? Let’s dig in and talk about 6 things you can do to keep your garden healthy and reduce plant stress when it’s sweltering. 1. Meticulously Maintain Garden Hydration in Hot Weather  Knowing when and how to water is one of the keys to maintaining healthy garden spaces.   Just like humans, plants need plenty of water to keep their metabolic activities in check.  Without adequate hydration, tissue turgor, photosynthesis, and all other processes get sluggish and become compromised. How can you tell your plants need water?  Plants talk to us through their leaves.  Wilting, or flagging, is the first sign that plants are low on water.   Wilting happens on a continuum.  A little wilt isn’t harmful; the plant is just telling you with that slight leaf bend that they’d like a drink.  But a full-on, complete leaf collapse is a high-stress event for a plant.   You never want your plants to get to this place because sometimes they don’t recover, and other times there may be lasting effects for the rest of the plant’s life.  They may not grow to their full height, there may be poor flowering, and poor fruit or vegetable production.  Check Hydration Levels Daily Create a routine of walking through and checking your garden early in the morning.  This goes for all types of gardens: in-ground flower and vegetable gardens, balcony or