Hello Topbird, the joke about the cat was because you are the bird. The loveliest most beautiful natured cat I had was a long hair half persian also ginger, called Charlotte she died in 2006.I think you have the sandy soil, I have a good friend of over 35 years lives in Brandon. We are the SE UK corner, opposite the South Downs, 10 minutes from the sea. Our back is north facing, clay.I have never visited Beth Chatto, would love to but its over 100 miles.
I feel exactly like you described @ObsessedPlantswoman and I've resigned myself to only watering pots now. To water all my beds properly (meaning deeply, not just the surface) takes half a day, and I've spent months thinking "surely in a week or two we'll get some proper rain"... while I felt like that it seemed reasonable to spend time watering to tide things over. Now I'm just sick of it.
So you're not alone, I know exactly how you feel. And people who say "right plants right place" can come and see my yellow-leaved splayed-out crocosmias, stunted salvias and pitiful lavenders.
Now I'm thinking more about next year. I've just ordered more water butts, I'm getting a pump system for my well and I've ordered a drip irrigation system that I'm going to tinker with over the next months and if I'm happy I'll order more and set them up in the biggest beds in the spring. Not that I plan to water the beds under normal circumstances, but as a contingency for a lost year like this one.
As bushy salvias and lavenders can come from countries with baking summers, would you say your plants have been taken unawares? I would think they could take 40oC if they have time to adapt and planted with very hot summers in mind.
As noted elsewhere, it would be interesting to see how Beth Chatto's dry gardens are faring. And, as others have said, those gardens took a lot of special prep to allow the plants to survive unwatered and have had a long time to adapt with professional support.
I have just heard about the remains of a 17th Century garden that has been revealed for the first time in 300 years, under a dry lawn at Chatsworth. This is an area that normally has high rainfall. An exciting discovery but also a concern.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@Fire of course you're right. And I'm sure they could have taken 40 degrees if they weren't already stressed from more than 3 months of drought. Part of the problem is many of my plants are young (I only bought the house 2 years ago).. more established plants may have fared slightly better. Though not the crocosmias - they were already here when I moved.
No, I'm not giving up. We're probably luckier here than in the South East although we've had a drier spring than usual. Most of my plants appear to be surviving and are still blooming including the roses. Those that don't survive will give me the opportunity to replan for more low maintenance planting and maybe taking out some flower beds. The only plants I'm really worried about are a big tree like pittospermum and it's neighbour, a large viburnum tinus, both over 15 years old. They give us welcome privacy between our bedroom and the road, however there is a 50ft high, 50 year old birch tree the other side of the boundary within 4 metres of my plants which I suspect is taking all the moisture. Both the viburnum and pittospermum's leaves are turning yellow and falling which is unusual in July.
It will be a great shame if they die, but that's gardening, I'll just think of something else to plant instead.
@Nanny Beach - no we're not on sandy soil like your friend. She lives in Breckland which is sandy free draining heathland.
We are further south and have extremely heavy grey & yellow boulder clay full of flints. And that is one of the major problems for me. The majority of 'mediterranean' type plants which can withstand heat and drought also require free draining soil - which mine definitely isn't.
When we first moved here in winter the soil was the stickiest, most slippery mess I'd ever seen. Next summer it literally set like concrete - totally inpenetrable with hand garden tools. Twelve years on (and many tonnes of compost / other organic matter later) the soil is much more workable but it still gets too wet and cold in a normal winter for plants that don't tolerate wet feet.
One plant that has done well this year is the roses. They have a deep root system so are better at withstanding the drought and, of course, the blooms fare much better without the rain to spoil them.
The dry conditions have meant less damage from fungal disease such as black spot and even the aphids seem to have bu$$ered off to wetter climes👍
Another positive is that I have not had to use any glyphosate at all this summer. We have a very large shingle drive and patio and I try to manage the weeds on them by hoeing & hand weeding. However, there comes a point in mid-summer when I usually have to resort to a single application of weedkiller.
Not this year - even the weeds have stopped germinating & growing and the shallower rooted weeds in the lawn are dying off too. With a bit of luck they mght disappear for good. I've trimmed the dandelions in the lawn😬 but, apart from that and chopping up cut back / pruned material, I've not used the lawnmower since early May. Silver linings....
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
... Not this year - even the weeds have stopped germinating & growing and the shallower rooted weeds in the lawn are dying off too. With a bit of luck they mght disappear for good. I've trimmed the dandelions in the lawn😬 but, apart from that and chopping up cut back / pruned material, I've not used the lawnmower since early May. Silver linings....
@topbird you make a really good point. I'm always moaning about all the watering I've had to do, but it's true there are silver linings as you say - weeds are just not germinating or if they do they're hardly growing. And it must be at least 6 weeks since I mowed.
Posts
So you're not alone, I know exactly how you feel. And people who say "right plants right place" can come and see my yellow-leaved splayed-out crocosmias, stunted salvias and pitiful lavenders.
Now I'm thinking more about next year. I've just ordered more water butts, I'm getting a pump system for my well and I've ordered a drip irrigation system that I'm going to tinker with over the next months and if I'm happy I'll order more and set them up in the biggest beds in the spring. Not that I plan to water the beds under normal circumstances, but as a contingency for a lost year like this one.
https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/gardens/a40703488/chatsworth-garden-revealed-heatwave/
The only plants I'm really worried about are a big tree like pittospermum and it's neighbour, a large viburnum tinus, both over 15 years old. They give us welcome privacy between our bedroom and the road, however there is a 50ft high, 50 year old birch tree the other side of the boundary within 4 metres of my plants which I suspect is taking all the moisture.
Both the viburnum and pittospermum's leaves are turning yellow and falling which is unusual in July.
It will be a great shame if they die, but that's gardening, I'll just think of something else to plant instead.
We are further south and have extremely heavy grey & yellow boulder clay full of flints. And that is one of the major problems for me. The majority of 'mediterranean' type plants which can withstand heat and drought also require free draining soil - which mine definitely isn't.
When we first moved here in winter the soil was the stickiest, most slippery mess I'd ever seen. Next summer it literally set like concrete - totally inpenetrable with hand garden tools. Twelve years on (and many tonnes of compost / other organic matter later) the soil is much more workable but it still gets too wet and cold in a normal winter for plants that don't tolerate wet feet.
One plant that has done well this year is the roses. They have a deep root system so are better at withstanding the drought and, of course, the blooms fare much better without the rain to spoil them.
The dry conditions have meant less damage from fungal disease such as black spot and even the aphids seem to have bu$$ered off to wetter climes👍
Another positive is that I have not had to use any glyphosate at all this summer. We have a very large shingle drive and patio and I try to manage the weeds on them by hoeing & hand weeding. However, there comes a point in mid-summer when I usually have to resort to a single application of weedkiller.
Not this year - even the weeds have stopped germinating & growing and the shallower rooted weeds in the lawn are dying off too. With a bit of luck they mght disappear for good. I've trimmed the dandelions in the lawn😬 but, apart from that and chopping up cut back / pruned material, I've not used the lawnmower since early May. Silver linings....