July 2014. Hot'n Dry'n Thundery

I Love your Waltz Jubelteen - hope you manage to overwinter it if its difficult. The blackberries are amazingly early aren't they?

Your Rozanne isn't like mine, which has spread itself out but isn't compact like yours, it wanders round other plants and reaches six feet from end to end. - maybe it's because there's too much shade for it. I don't think you'll have any problems with it reaching the alliums once it matures.

This year I planted two Rozanne, te one which gets most sun has flowed right across by about 2 feet...the blooms are SO pretty, and a good size; I love it. I have put 2 more on the low brick wall at my garden entrance, which I am hoping will "flow" over the wall and clothe it next year.

Your garden's growing beautifully, Dorjac and now I've a longing for an apple and blackberry crumble! We've had the thunder storms too and torrential rain yesterday - the front lawn was like a pond for an hour or two but has now, thankfully, drained away. The tortoises enjoyed the heat but charged around the garden like mini tornadoes, knocking over and breaking a couple of pots - they don't believe in walking round anything but prefer to shift it out their way :)

Thanks Steragram and Autumn leave Waltz Jubleteen is a strange upward pointing Fuchsia that is really difficult to overwinter easily. I have another Jubleteen that has survived about 4 winters outside but all snuggled up in fleece. I like the challenge. I am really surprised at the size of Rozanne once it gets going. I did read it wanders about a bit. The heat must energise the tortoises Gee. Perhaps the rushing around is to cool their shells down too. It's the last thing I do when it's hot like Saturday. Just wilt like my fuchsias.

Lovely show of flowers Dottie. Yes the sun has dried the ground up, and we've had to water too first thing in the morning. Some of my plants have wilted a bit and everything seems to be flowering sooner than expected. Perhaps it's going to be an early Autumn as everything started off so early this year.

Thanks Lindak. They said it was going to rain over the weekend, not so far! I watered earlier this morning with the hose too...but very selectively. Still have the pots on the patio to water, running around from the butt with two large pots, a bit of exercise and lower the butt in case it does rain. Just deadheaded the Buddlja and penstemons while it's still quite cool outside.

Hi again Dorjac, I'm still having to supply water to the garden, as we haven't had the rain like some people have. We had some heavy showers on Saturday l;ate morning to evening, but mostly seem to have been on the edge of it all. The flowers have been so vibrant this year and the perfumes really lovely, attracting the moths and butterflies and we've had a lot of bumblebees too. The Buddleias have been early this year, although I haven't got one in the garden, but several of the neighbours have. I'm still dead heading the flowers and there are still a lot of buds to come yet.

I've just noticed that one of the babies surrounding my freshly planted pot of Sempervivum Calcarium has vanished! We have had a few visitors. Trying not to think someone might have fancied it to start a circle of their own! Strange how everything goes quieter in the garden in August. Not many midges or butterflies. Lots of sparrows and quarelsome starlings. A newly redbreasted robin. Butts are low again and the hose again selectively in action. Promised thunder storms never came our way.

we have a baby robin and quite a few butterflies visiting the garden at the moment. The hedgehogs were back again last night. They look healthy, and the smallest of them is the bully and will stand in the dish to try to put the others off. We have about fifty starlings that gather in the garden although once one flies off they all seem to take off. We did have some rain yesterday and last night, so at least the flowers have had a good watering.

I don't know how you count starlings or sparrows Lindak as they are never still! One morning I walked out of the back door and the whole garden erupted with fleeing sparrows. They love a dust bath near the edge of the border. And the soil lands on the bricks surrounding the lawn. My visiting brother tells me a dying bird in the garden is a woodpecker chick (dead now). Another cat injury I think. It rained yesterday for four hours early on. A real tonic for the garden.

My brother visited and told me the sick bird that was in the garden was a woodpecker chick . Poor bird had an injured foot and 2 missing tail feathers. The next day it was dead, fallen out the hawthorn onto the top of a shrub below. Very unfortunate this year but lots of baby birds seen of all kinds and doing well. 4 hours of rain yesterday, but got steaming hot as the day wore on.

what a shame about the woodpecker chick. I count ten starlings then have a quick scan over the rest and have a guess but we do have a lot. Just had 3 hot air balloons drifting over and someone on a hang glider. It has been a lovely day although I think it's the calm before the storm.

I did some selective hose watering early on this morning and about an hour later the heavens opened for a short while. It went very very dark with one wink of lightning then no thunder.....all rather strange Lindak.

It went very dark here in the afternoon. We did have some really heavy rain with a few rumbles of thunder and the road was like a stream of water. This morning it looks like thin cloud and not too bad. I think it's the meteor showers tonight near to where the moon is and the moon is supposed to be at its largest too if we will be able to see it....

Well Mr Fish says we will be entertaining another hurricaine sometime this Sunday. I can still remember him saying there was talk of a terrible wind on its way to Uk. No way! Then overnight in the South East the wind was truly terrifying. I remember seeing a row of full grown trees blow over like dominos on some spare land over the road. Later on a walk in Kent we saw a whole wood felled all pointing the same way...awesome.

So far the storm hasn't been too bad. This morning its gorgeous sunshine and not much in the way of any wind. The moon last night was beautiful. Mr, Fish will always be remembered for his remarks about that particular storm.....

Now it has cooled down ,I went out to cut back a neglected Spirea in the front garden that has some die back at the right side. Mission accomplished. Then a great black cloud slithered to the left. A flash, rumble, a cold wind. I flung the tools into the green bin, legged it for the side gate and the heavens opened. The Spirea gets watered. I get a bit damp locking the gate. Whoopee lots of lovely rain. Thanks Mr Fish.

I went out for a walk yesterday afternoon and on turning the corner of this road my cap nearly flew off my head so I had to walk along holding on to it!!!

Today the Tesco grocery delivery turned up at the same time as the roofer to see to the ridge tiles on the low kitchen roof. Yesterday an embarrassing visit from a service electrician to check over the solid hob. Two plates not working, so I thought, but they came on! Tomorrow a consultant visit for OH, which he dreads. Thursday the dental hygienist for me. Friday a hearing clinic visit for me. Phew what a week it's proving to be. Lovely day today though, cooler, sunny, nice breeze.

Hope all goes well for you both.

Good luck with all the health visits, Dorjac. Very breezy here too today but a not so much rain so far :)

Beautiful day yesterday, breezy, cooler, sunny. The old roofer turned up on time at 8.30am, as promised. I pottered about the garden. He took of the ridge tiles off the tired kitchen roof and reseated them. Cleaned up well after himself and departed around 1.30pm with the modest sum of money asked for a job done to put my mind at rest. About 7pm there was a short violent thunderstorm but the tiles are still there Gee! Thanks for your good wishes Lindak.

Just catching up with some older blogs, great to see more photos of your pretty garden and interesting pots...