What are we doing in the garden 2025

Won't be doing much outside today as it's far too hot for me. Went out at half 6 for my walk, and will maybe get a few things potted on that I didn't get to yesterday - basil, lettuce and maybe the strawberry runners that need pegging down. I can sit under the pergola until the sun gets round there. A couple of things at the front as there's no sun there until later afternoon.
I can't cope once it's about 20 degrees unless there's a good breeze.

 

@shiney you have had a very busy day and it has been so hot. We managed to water the orchids, carnivorous plants and house plants all indoors and that took over 2 hours. Nothing outside just too hot.

 

Apart from hanging the washing out and watering the toms first thing - not been out today. Hydrangeas are really wilting - displaying how we all feel!

 

Picked some sweet peas, took some photographs, did my regular evening watering.

I have one of those raised planters, a plastic trough on legs. I had let the contents die and it had all dried up. This morning I found it on its side, and it had hit a couple of young sedums (or hypo-thingies we're supposed to call them now) in pots on the way down. The sedums I think will survive although one of the pots has a chunk out of it.

I reckon a fox or cat must have jumped up on it to get over the fence behind it, and pulled it over. It was never very stable to begin with and being lighter from drying out would have made it worse. It must have given them a hell of a fright!

 

Fed and watered the veg plot and planters yesterday before 8 , and spent the rest of the day listening to cricket , watching tennis and drinking water. Slept in the summerhouse until 0400 by which time the bedroom was tolerable. Back in the summerhouse now and spend the rest of the morning chasing the coolest place. No gardening today , involved in a charity fete this afternoon.
Stay safe everyone !

 

Hope it isn't too unbearable for your fete later @Robert Bowen . Our climate up here is changing beyond belief, and is adversely affecting many areas because that change is so dramatic. We really aren't designed for those sorts of temps in Scotland! It's to get to 30 in some parts. Hideous. Tomorrow is to be better as it's to be windy. Phew...

I'll just sit under the pergola and do a few bits and pieces today until it's too much for me. I should get a few things done out the front until the sun gets round there.
Then I'll watch all the Live Aid coverage later. I missed it originally, apart from some of the later stuff, as I was working, then out with my new partner, who later became my hubby.

 

Last few days have all been watering at home and on the Allotments. Picking produce at plots too. Climbing beans are in full production, also the Opal Plums have started to ripen. They are like buches of grapes on the tree this year after 2 years of almost nothing.

 

I have just ventured outside to hang my washing out. At this time of day the rotary washing line is in the shade of the house, so it's not too bad. My neighbours are out cutting all their hedges in the full glare of the sun, the male neighbour is topless of course.

 

@Escarpment I have neighbours like that , they do heavy gardening jobs on the hottest days , no hats , in full glare of the sun and are state pensioners.
The high temperatures in recent years are making me think about what is to be planted in my garden. This combination of wind heat and rain at different times is a real conundrum. Is there such a thing as a drought tolerant bog plant?

 

My neighbours are young people, their garden work is concentrated on the weekends before the green bin collection is due.

I started this year looking for things that would tolerate shade and wet, after last year's miserable summer and the very wet winter. Then the rain stopped and the neighbour cut back the laurel hedge that was creating much of the shade!

 

Not much today, other than the usual deadheading etc, because of focusing on other things. I did have a pleasant surprise though.

My lavenders haven't done too well this year. Their flower spikes have been droopy. I concluded that it was mostly down to lack of watering - even though they are drought tolerant plants, considering how dry it has been, I should have watered them.

Watering them after the flower spikes were fully formed did not solve the problem. So I decided to sacrifice the flowers of the 2 worst offenders, the shape of which was awful, and gave them a prune. This was a couple of weeks ago.

To my surprise, they are growing new flower spikes! And so far they're looking perfectly upright. I wasn't expecting more flowers this year.



Based on that, I just gave the other lavenders a similar prune.

 

Went to open the greenhouse and found three blackbirds in there, one left fairly quickly the other two dived into corners so I left the door wide open and wandered off. Three hours later they appeared to have gone.
Spent the morning weeding.

 

I went walking yesterday which was a mistake, too hot . Today I have decided to keep cool indoors. The garden will have a rest day, no digging or pruning, basking in sun with a late evening watering planned for the roses, Heleniums and anything planted within the last few weeks. I have had time to observe that Buddleias and Verbenas are attractive to both bees and butterflies, with Heleniums and Lythrum being bee favourites. No birds around, they’re sensible .