Not good news :~(

It is so strange Grandmage....we have had so much rain in Glasgow it is quite depressing. :o(

so sorry for you, our resevoirs are pretty full, I wonder how long the ban will last for you, awful news for your gardens

Our supplier, Southern Water, is one of the seven companies enforcing the hosepipe ban from 5 April ... necessary but a nuisance for gardeners with newly planted climbers and trees in their garden ... that'll be me then! ... :o(((

Dont think they have ever made this decision so early in the year have they? So it must be serious. Linda I hear that they are going to pump water down south from Scotland! Yorks I am going to see what comes up in the garden and then not bother with any summer displays, shame really. Shirley, keep watering them while you can and then it will be cans through the season, what a chore! How do you know the date Shirley?

:( We've had enough so far...But there is always a threat of a ban a few months down the line.

Gm, I read it on the BBC news on-line ... I don't think I shall bother with hanging baskets and tubs this year ... :o(

It was on our local news today. Ban from 5th April.
It makes me so cross, since god knows when there has been a leak in the country lane near to me. It runs down the road like a stream & when everywhere else was iced over in the winter it was still running!

That is not good, I have already decided not to have many planters and pots this year..

Not good Grandmage - could be a stormy weekend though - so some rain at least

herd it the other week ,,,,,,,,,,, my well is still pretty full !! think we ok for a while .......... not gud is it ...........

on a gud note ur new plants will be ok , drought tollerant !!

My garden is pretty dry (east Scotland) and have watered pots several times now already. It has not rained in 2 weeks and even then it was light. Since December it has been pretty dry. Sounds like it all fell in Glasgow, but it always rains there. I have a lot of sympathy for people and gardeners in the SE of England as it is not a good position. Sneaking out at midnight to save a fav plant? Plant succulents and cacti??

Like you Willinilli We have got a water leak running down the main road that I have reported to Severn Trent twice over the last three weeks only to be told that it is in hand (whatever that means) so if its still going when we get the ban at least I have somewhere to take my bucket and fill it.

Apparently we have had two dry winters. So what happened to all the snow that melted after the bad winter last year? Or was that the wrong type of snow?

Sorry for the lack of rain in your part of the country, it must be so difficult gardening without adequate water, wish we could send you some we have had more than our fair share this year!

Thanks folks for your comments, so it looks like no summer bedding, hanging baskets or summer pots this year, & brown grass, such a shame. It will be hard trying to keep the things that we already have. Maybe we all should grow Cacti like Kilder suggested!! or extremely hardy plants that enjoy drought. We will have to see how it all unfolds and yes lets hope the councils mend those leaks and quick. April the 5th :~(

I hope you can get to water your gardens. They should ban car washing. They go just as well when they're dusty, but plants die with no water.

Yes your right Hywel, it seems wrong to waste loads of water washing a car doesnt it? I would rather water my plants any day. We must come up with novel ideas as to how to store water!!

I people have not 'liked' your blog because they mean they don't like the news.

Geraniums (pelargoniums) always do fine with minimum water. They love it!

Let's hope for lots and lots of April showers :o)))

Very true Hywel!!

Bryony, thanks for telling me that I hadnt even looked at the list of 'likes', after watching a prog. about 'bee & insect' attracting plants I told myself that I wouldnt plant geraniums anymore, I really adore them but the bees dont apparently! :~(
TT. yes April showers would be good, & May, June July........... Lol.

You are certainly welcome to it Grandmage.....we have more than our fare share.

I know you do Lin. it is funny really isnt it, you have tooooo much and we not enough, I suppose we pay the cost for being warmer down here! Cannot win either way.

I find it ironic that more and more new houses are being built in one of the driest parts of the country

Where is that Andrew?

Anywhere in the southeast Grandmage. Now if they were to build them in Northern Ireland or Western Scotland (which has more rain than they know what to do with), it would make more sense