Drought

In May we said it was unusually warm for the time of year. I remember the sweat pouring off Guy when he was digging the holes in the front garden. When David and June came in June there was much consternation as it rained the day they arrived and then Nadine told us it rained on the Friday morning that we were away in the Pyrenees. We had two heavy showers last Saturday night and that has been it. Each day the temperatures rise to the mid thirties during the afternoon and stay there until about 9pm. Our whole life has changed to accommodate the conditions. We have had a hose pipe ban since early July so I get up at 6am and water for a couple of hours. Apart from actually hauling myself out of bed I really enjoy it. It is a beautiful time of day and I love seeing the kestrels flying around still hassling their parents for food. The only downside is that we get virtually nothing else done.

These photos were taken at the beginning of June when I was pleased with the long bed as I thought I was on the way to achieving the herbaceous border I had always planned.


This is what it looks like now.

We have abandoned the vegetable patch and I only try to keep things alive on the raised bed by watering every other day. I selectively water the serpentine and white beds as I raised many things from seed and I just can't bring myself to let them die. However there is a jewel in the crown ... the Christo bed is a blaze of colour with dahlias and annuals.

Sensible people would not consider buying trees in the middle of a drought which shows no sign of abating..... however, yes we went and bought three albitzia trees yesterday and brought them home in the hottest part of the day.

 

Well they were just what we wanted and at a good price. We now have to coax them through the summer for autumn planting.