I have quite a few hostas in pots ... this weekend we're going to move them against the northfacing wall as we do when we go away for summer holidays. The veg etc will get their usual watering ... as with @thevictorian above we're on very free-draining gritty (sandy) loam so despite the addition of loads of manure and compost over the past ten years it's still pretty thirsty.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We've already got daily texts from Severn Trent about not using hosepipes, and I remember my mom watering her roses etc in '76 using washing up water and bath water. I've moved my pots round, and will be putting the plug in the bath to collect shower water.
I put parasols next to two of my newer potted roses to help shade them. They are in full sun and can't be moved. Not sure if it will help or not but only thing I could think of, apart from keeping them well watered.
I collected the water from my shower this morning, scooped it out with a jug into a watering can. My husband would think me nuts if he'd witnessed it 😁
I only water anything that looks like it's flagging or is still establishing,
That's what I do as well as daily watering of the pots.
I grow the old French variety of Mange Tout Carouby de Maussane. This year I only had enough seeds for half a row so sowed them and bought another variety called Norli. The Norli withered and died after producing only about two handfuls of mange tout. The Carouby de Maussane is growing strongly and still cropping well. The message to me is this French variety is far far better in drought situations. It's absolutely delicious too!
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Slow-worm, your Mum wasnt in London then, the water was turned off, there were stand pipes in the streets, you had to go out and collect your water. you definitely werent meant to have baths. We scooped it out the bath a few years back when there was a hosepipe ban, with a cup in the end to get the last drop. there has been a couple of hosepipe bans in the 10 years we've lived here, yes it's a bungalow, so you can't syphon water out the bath. 2018, we had no rain for 2 moths, but no hosepipe ban. I see in todays paper martyn Cox gardener telling you to water your lawn early morning or evening, I've never watered the lawn.
I’ve put up the parasol and also doing my washing in the morning to shade my plants with that whilst it’s out drying, May as well use the extra shade the washing provides over the hottest part of the day. No water bans announced here yet, but I have already half filled the dog paddling pool to use as a “plunge” for some of my pots. Water gets horrible and full of soil etc, but I find it works better than watering using the hose for the smaller pots.
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
I don't know the definition of a drought but lack of water is a far bigger problem here than the sun. We just haven't had any meaningful rain for a couple of months and a few years ago it was over 12 weeks without rain but I don't remember it being as bad as this tbh.
@thevictorian you are absolutely right about the wind. Particularly the hot Saharan wind bringing all that orange dust that is sucking the moisture out of everything above ground. No matter how much I water the roots, the foliage is scorching and dying on many of my plants. I wouldn’t normally wet foliage of plants like roses because of disease pressures but have taken to misting them in the evening in addition to shading as much as possible during the day.
I have a very deep well, so a lack of water is not normally a problem. However, after a dry winter/spring and now summer, the ground is sufficiently parched that, despite regular watering, even my toughest ‘drought-tolerant’ stuff is keeling over. I’ve had to let my large, south-facing border go entirely and am saving water for the smaller, shadier ones, plus a few precious potted plants.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
We've had strong winds too @Nollie but mostly from the north so no Sahara dust but still very drying. I have my smallest pots under the shade of a parasol and OH has a strict watering schedule of pots and crops but has had to add the brassica beds to that rota.
Last day of scorchio her - in theory - and I was awake at 5am so I hobbled out the back and watered all the pots there and the herb bed so they can get thru without crisping. might be a bit late for the orange and lemon thymes and the oregano tho.
Fingers crossed we go back to the mid 20s tomorrow.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've moved my pots round, and will be putting the plug in the bath to collect shower water.
I grow the old French variety of Mange Tout Carouby de Maussane. This year I only had enough seeds for half a row so sowed them and bought another variety called Norli. The Norli withered and died after producing only about two handfuls of mange tout. The Carouby de Maussane is growing strongly and still cropping well. The message to me is this French variety is far far better in drought situations. It's absolutely delicious too!
I have a very deep well, so a lack of water is not normally a problem. However, after a dry winter/spring and now summer, the ground is sufficiently parched that, despite regular watering, even my toughest ‘drought-tolerant’ stuff is keeling over. I’ve had to let my large, south-facing border go entirely and am saving water for the smaller, shadier ones, plus a few precious potted plants.
Last day of scorchio her - in theory - and I was awake at 5am so I hobbled out the back and watered all the pots there and the herb bed so they can get thru without crisping. might be a bit late for the orange and lemon thymes and the oregano tho.
Fingers crossed we go back to the mid 20s tomorrow.