The hot weather continued this month, and our grass got drier and drier. A drought was declared and our hosepipe was put away and we started to use some of our grey water on our pots, and on the plants that looked like they needed it most. That said our plants, and even the grass, are more resilient than we think. Writing this post later than I usually would has provided the benefit of hindsight, and that’s helpful.
The garden wasn’t without colour either - roses, sweet peas, verbena and agapanthus were flowering, just not with the same gusto or vigour as perhaps they usually would. We only had three flowers on our two pots of agapanthus, last year there was three times as many. The fatsia seemed to be most visibly suffering, dropping leaves that had yellowed and some which were burnt to a crisp. My dilemma was should I trim it now, or wait - for a while I waited but eventually I thinned it out and I think that has helped, who knows?
The bay tree that I’d cut and dried the leaves from had sprung back into life, as plants do when you cut them which is why I was hesitating about giving the fatsia the same treatment. And it’s good to see this one fill out and respond so well - there’s a chance that it may yet become as dense as it’s ‘twin’ but perhaps it’ll need a few more cuts over a few more years for the difference to be less obvious.
The white rose on the patio has also been flowering slowly, a few buds appear then the flowers come out, the petals drop and some more buds appear. It must make being an insect hard work, so it was especially nice to capture this one going about their purpose and heading straight into the centre of the rose.
Our trees (which were cut in mid-June) continue to thrive - this photo was taken mid-August and at this point we hadn’t had a proper downpour, though a couple were soon to follow. And it was great to see, and feel, the rain. When it rained there was a sense of relief, people didn’t seem too fussed about being caught in a shower (assuming it wasn’t one of the huge ones!) and it was all very good natured. The trouble with the huge downpours is that there’s really nowhere for the water to go when the ground is baked, and at one point later in the month, we did have puddles forming on our grass which was weird to see.
All of the trees that were cut have now started to show new growth, and that’s really good to see. It’s also good to see our garden slightly less bare again! Even the ornamental quince bush which got a bit trampled on the tree cutting day has recovered well. In fact it’s looking healthier than another of the same variety we have elsewhere in the garden, so proof that a severe prune (rather than a trampling) is a good thing every now and then.
It’s also been nice to enjoy the garden in the evenings - the lights are back up, and on one evening were were treated to this glorious sunset - the perfect backdrop for a G&T too!
With showers more regularly forecast we’ve taken to leaving trugs around the garden to collect water - with mixed success it must be said! But every little helps, and we’re hoping that the grass will be a resilient as the experts are saying it is, as we much prefer ours to be green!