By Redwine
West Midlands,
United Kingdom 
Hi everyone
just to let everyone know everything in my garden's fine the slugs and snails are thriving and having a great time the clover in my lawn is looking good it's even in flower my rosebuds are dropping off through rain balling and my pond is overflowing allowing my fish to go swim about in the garden is everything fine with you lot?
6 Jul, 2012
Answers
Oh yes, just fabulous - the dahlias and geraniums are dripping, with the first signs of rust and mildew too, half the size they normally are, the variegated Acer isn't variegated because of lack of sun, the slugs and snails are having a field day in the borders, and I'm still taking my winter dose of Vitamin D, so yea, everything's just peachy...
6 Jul, 2012
What to add to that? Paved area near house flooded - not badly, thank goodness - water feature now a gentle waterfall onto the patio and alstroemeria attempting to layer itself across the grass. I daren't even think about the banquet the slugs and snails are enjoying. The petunias aren't the only ones sulking...
6 Jul, 2012
My sister up in Wigan (got 4 sisters dotted about the country) has just told me their children's toy plastic duck in the pond is now floating across the garden...
6 Jul, 2012
I can believe that. I know we are not getting anything like the amount of rain they are experiencing inland. One begins to wonder if it will ever stop! I read this morning that they are expecting another two weeks of rainy weather. Will the infrastructure sustain it? (More to the point - will we?!!!)
6 Jul, 2012
Depressing idea that we're not going to get any summer at all... and utterly ridiculous that my area still has a Drought Order in place.
6 Jul, 2012
Inexplicable, isn't it? Who do they think is going to rush out and douse the garden now? Even if we have a nice Autumn (hope springs eternal..) many plants are not going to make it in time.
6 Jul, 2012
My neighbour's convinced its because the French have got it in for us - our water company is Veolia, a french company, lol!
6 Jul, 2012
That's the company that manage our recycling collection. Perhaps that's why they're always dropping rubbish outside the gate!!!
6 Jul, 2012
Bamboo, I'm with Veolia too, I really need to use my hosepipe to wash the mud off the dogs and clean the muddy drive with all the work going on out the back!
6 Jul, 2012
Well, BBM, although I'm usually a thorough stickler for Drought Orders, this year, I have to say, I'd happily break the rules if I had to. You could argue (and I think there's an exception for, in the Order) that you need to use it for health and safety reasons - the drive's too slippery and therefore dangerous. The fact you do the dogs at the same time is neither here nor there...
6 Jul, 2012
Best thing we can do is party...
6 Jul, 2012
Yes Bamboo, Elf n Safety!! ;)
6 Jul, 2012
Oh I`m chuckling at some of these answers, my tadpoles were able to escape today even though some still haven`t got all their little legs.
Bamboo is lack of sunlight the reason my Berberis isn`t red this year, I managed to save it by giving it that massive prune last year and its growing well just not red now....
6 Jul, 2012
Um ....... it's 8.00 am here on a ..... um ... bright (sorry!) clear (oops!) ...... sunny .... OK I'm going now!
7 Jul, 2012
Oh, I'm suffering sun envy now, Nariz - the rain's hurling itself against the window as I type...
Lincslass - yes, that's why your Berberis isn't red - needs sun, or at least strong light, to colour up properly. The more sun, the redder (or darker purplish, depending on variety) they get... Lack of uv is also why I'm still white as a bottle of milk this year, blast it.
7 Jul, 2012
Thanks Bamboo, it never occurred to me that lack of sunlight had caused it, I won`t worry about it now, its come on marvellously after its haircut...
7 Jul, 2012
Yes was just thinking the same as I look out of the window. Tall Campanula latifolia now mostly horizontal and lovely first open bloom on my Great Expectations rose is pointing towards Australia.
6 Jul, 2012