I'm not really needing to change anything, but I'll be more aware of putting the 'wet loving' plants too close together in borders, if I plant any. Plenty of mulch, but I tend to do that anyway to keep the soil in good nick rather than for moisture retention. We don't have the problem here that other areas have.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm going to experiment with Oyas this year, not buy the expensive ones, make my own from terracotta pots with lids, anyone care to join me in this experiment?
I've never heard of them before, sounds fascinating. I'll keep an eye out for your progress.
I shall continue with my plan for the future which is to use those plants that put up with more or less anything. Veering towards the dry end because this is a generally dry area and some of my soil is very dry at the best of times
I am tempted @floralies. I am thinking of using simple terracotta pots covered with their saucers (the real ones are pricey). What sealant would you use to block the hole?
I have a few bags of composted bark that are destined for my driest beds. But I shall have to think about what to do in a narrow bed where I have (had? I won't know until they emerge) some lovely Lobelia Queen Victoria. They needed constant buckets of water on them last year. The pond I was going to reline last autumn filled up again as soon as we had some decent rain. But the biggest problem is the pots - I have quite a few outside against the south facing side of the house where I mix annuals with perennials, bulbs and one or two grasses. They give me enormous pleasure but of course they need constant watering. And peat-free compost is just rubbish at retaining moisture. So a rethink is needed here. Our In Bloom group was kept hard at it last summer, keeping the hanging baskets, tubs and planters in town watered. The hanging baskets are the best we could find to retain as much water as possible, but the bowser was kept busy all summer, by our brilliant team of volunteers. And I had many trips to the tap in the churchyard with my watering can for the planters I look after on the other church's railings.
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Plenty of mulch, but I tend to do that anyway to keep the soil in good nick rather than for moisture retention.
We don't have the problem here that other areas have.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I knew you had a really bad time of it during the summer but hadn't picked up it was ongoing. Another reason for being glad we landed in Normandy!
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
In the sticks near Peterborough
Luxembourg
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
The pond I was going to reline last autumn filled up again as soon as we had some decent rain.
But the biggest problem is the pots - I have quite a few outside against the south facing side of the house where I mix annuals with perennials, bulbs and one or two grasses. They give me enormous pleasure but of course they need constant watering. And peat-free compost is just rubbish at retaining moisture. So a rethink is needed here.
Our In Bloom group was kept hard at it last summer, keeping the hanging baskets, tubs and planters in town watered. The hanging baskets are the best we could find to retain as much water as possible, but the bowser was kept busy all summer, by our brilliant team of volunteers. And I had many trips to the tap in the churchyard with my watering can for the planters I look after on the other church's railings.