I really appreciate sensible advice but not the self congratulatory 'We never water because WE chose the right plant' ( YOU didn't) sort.
I don't notice much of that on the forum. Everyone has their struggles. Surely, if we learn anything here, it's that one plant can thrive in one garden and struggle in another - given the same conditions.
Sorry @fire - but sometimes postings just DO come across like that. It's probably not intentional but, if you're feeling down or a tad sensitive, it's easy to read them like that.
Flippant throw away remarks don't help either.
One of our local farmers was on the news tonight really quite distressed because of the damage from one of the local wildfires. Another was saying that (yet) another dry spring means they will have to seriously reconsider whether they can continue using fields for arable crops.
The farm reservoirs used for crop irrigation are extremely low but they need to irrigate every day and it's a full time job keeping on top of monitoring, irrigating, moving the irrigators around etc. It's exhausting and depressing when, despite their best efforts, crops are failing.
The situation, in this region at least, is serious.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Thank you @Topbird. I understand disheartening only too well, sadly. The dreadful floods here in December 2015 left a legacy of debris piled against my stock-proof fence and millions of invisible weed seeds all over the garden. Most of my time and care were needed and given elsewhere at the time, and for some time after, but I did have the help of a good gardener thankfully. I'm still working to dig out the results of Storm Desmond, but nearly there. The storm called Arwen last November destroyed a part of my garden by uprooting at least eighteen trees. I've not even begun to clear some of the mess of upheaved earth and huge rootplates. But I determined to keep going, keep working, and that's what I do. In spite of the challenges It's a lovely place to be, it has its own magic and being here means a lot to me. Before climate change started to cause these worsening weather events the heavy rains weren't an issue. Thirty years ago they were rare. Now they're not. My soil is moisture retentive and I can appreciate how that must seem enviable to others in times of drought. But to see thirty hours of heavy rain forecast when the ground is already over saturated and water is flowing through is not enviable, any more than your current situation is. Both scenarios are frightening. We're all facing great problems, so of course we're going to whinge and be grumpy. But let's rail at at the weather, and not each other.
I am of course comparing severe weather effects here, drought and flood, but even without those the wetter weather in many areas of the UK can be disheartening. It's often not possible to do meaningful work after September or before April or May. As I said in my earlier post, you can add water but you can't remove it.
But to all those suffering from lack of rain, please don't despair, this drought will end, and you will see your gardens come back to life, but changed perhaps, with losses, as mine is from storm. If you love gardening you'll carry on and not give up. May it rain soon for all who are struggling with drought, but then may it know when to stop.
@Lyn I haven't got any ripe toms yet either. The cucumbers are going well though. I think I may be able to pick a first handful of runner beans this evening for dinner. French beans are only just flowering - it's all late because it was so cold for so long. We had the really cold night on Tuesday as well. The rain's gone off now - could have done with it all day as the ground is rock hard but the main rain barrel is full again so some good came of it
If you want to grow more delicate items successfully and continually in the UK you need to grow undercover otherwise you're always at the whim of our changeable weather.
Thank you @Woodgreen. I wholeheartedly echo your sentiments.
I watched with horror the effects of storms Desmond and Arwen and thanked 'whoever' that I wasn't really affected by them. People lost their lives in those storms which gives some proper perspective. I hope, in time, you get your garden back to normal.
BTW - if anybody likes Ribena or other blackcurrant drinks.... ... at least some of the farmers who grow blackcurrants for Ribena are in this area and the currants were literally cooked on the bushes in last week's heatwave - so their crop is completely lost.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I was interested in what you said about your roses @Topbird I've had a terrible rose season. Every rose is covered in blackspot, normally get very little. A lot of the roses have turned crispy at the edges from the heat and have gone over very quickly. I was so disappointed with them today that I was in the mood to dig up the whole lot. Clematis on the other hand have done really well.
Thank you @Topbird. I understand disheartening only too well, sadly. The dreadful floods here in December 2015 left a legacy of debris piled against my stock-proof fence and millions of invisible weed seeds all over the garden. Most of my time and care were needed and given elsewhere at the time, and for some time after, but I did have the help of a good gardener thankfully. I'm still working to dig out the results of Storm Desmond, but nearly there. The storm called Arwen last November destroyed a part of my garden by uprooting at least eighteen trees. I've not even begun to clear some of the mess of upheaved earth and huge rootplates. But I determined to keep going, keep working, and that's what I do. In spite of the challenges It's a lovely place to be, it has its own magic and being here means a lot to me. Before climate change started to cause these worsening weather events the heavy rains weren't an issue. Thirty years ago they were rare. Now they're not. My soil is moisture retentive and I can appreciate how that must seem enviable to others in times of drought. But to see thirty hours of heavy rain forecast when the ground is already over saturated and water is flowing through is not enviable, any more than your current situation is. Both scenarios are frightening. We're all facing great problems, so of course we're going to whinge and be grumpy. But let's rail at at the weather, and not each other.
I am of course comparing severe weather effects here, drought and flood, but even without those the wetter weather in many areas of the UK can be disheartening. It's often not possible to do meaningful work after September or before April or May. As I said in my earlier post, you can add water but you can't remove it.
But to all those suffering from lack of rain, please don't despair, this drought will end, and you will see your gardens come back to life, but changed perhaps, with losses, as mine is from storm. If you love gardening you'll carry on and not give up. May it rain soon for all who are struggling with drought, but then may it know when to stop.
Yes, but good things were spared @Fire. A dawn redwood, parrotia, cercidiphyllum japonicum, malus transitoria plus many more. It's just such a shock initially, to see trees brought down in a few savage hours. The uprooting is the problem now. I do feel resentful about the months lost to clearing up. But it will get sorted, in time. Countless huge oaks were lost around here, good trees with many more decades ahead of them. The randomness of life.
Posts
I don't notice much of that on the forum. Everyone has their struggles. Surely, if we learn anything here, it's that one plant can thrive in one garden and struggle in another - given the same conditions.
Flippant throw away remarks don't help either.
One of our local farmers was on the news tonight really quite distressed because of the damage from one of the local wildfires. Another was saying that (yet) another dry spring means they will have to seriously reconsider whether they can continue using fields for arable crops.
The farm reservoirs used for crop irrigation are extremely low but they need to irrigate every day and it's a full time job keeping on top of monitoring, irrigating, moving the irrigators around etc. It's exhausting and depressing when, despite their best efforts, crops are failing.
The situation, in this region at least, is serious.
I understand disheartening only too well, sadly.
The dreadful floods here in December 2015 left a legacy of debris piled against my stock-proof fence and millions of invisible weed seeds all over the garden. Most of my time and care were needed and given elsewhere at the time, and for some time after, but I did have the help of a good gardener thankfully. I'm still working to dig out the results of Storm Desmond, but nearly there.
The storm called Arwen last November destroyed a part of my garden by uprooting at least eighteen trees. I've not even begun to clear some of the mess of upheaved earth and huge rootplates.
But I determined to keep going, keep working, and that's what I do. In spite of the challenges It's a lovely place to be, it has its own magic and being here means a lot to me. Before climate change started to cause these worsening weather events the heavy rains weren't an issue. Thirty years ago they were rare. Now they're not. My soil is moisture retentive and I can appreciate how that must seem enviable to others in times of drought. But to see thirty hours of heavy rain forecast when the ground is already over saturated and water is flowing through is not enviable, any more than your current situation is. Both scenarios are frightening.
We're all facing great problems, so of course we're going to whinge and be grumpy. But let's rail at at the weather, and not each other.
I am of course comparing severe weather effects here, drought and flood, but even without those the wetter weather in many areas of the UK can be disheartening. It's often not possible to do meaningful work after September or before April or May. As I said in my earlier post, you can add water but you can't remove it.
But to all those suffering from lack of rain, please don't despair, this drought will end, and you will see your gardens come back to life, but changed perhaps, with losses, as mine is from storm. If you love gardening you'll carry on and not give up.
May it rain soon for all who are struggling with drought, but then may it know when to stop.
I watched with horror the effects of storms Desmond and Arwen and thanked 'whoever' that I wasn't really affected by them. People lost their lives in those storms which gives some proper perspective. I hope, in time, you get your garden back to normal.
BTW - if anybody likes Ribena or other blackcurrant drinks....
... at least some of the farmers who grow blackcurrants for Ribena are in this area and the currants were literally cooked on the bushes in last week's heatwave - so their crop is completely lost.
The randomness of life.