I like to think our efforts have kept the garden ticking along and surviving in survival mode, but perhaps the most dramatic effect to occur on the garden is a little beyond our control and that’s the browning of the bilberry on the heath. It’s no coincidence I’m sure that the crispest of the leaves are on plants facing a double threat from the sun above and the warming bedrock below, we’ve never faced anything on this scale but I’m hopeful for a full recovery as the stems still look nice and green. It just goes to show though how well they normally cope on the thinnest of soils. Fingers crossed it’s more of a coping mechanism. Nice that we’ve got an extended autumn display this year though.
On the plus side in these conditions, keen gardeners again will know, that as well as an improved tan, another positive to the hot dry summer has been how slow the weeds have grown which is a good job considering our minds and effort have been on other things somewhat but also growth of much of our shrubs has been a little stunted. So if we haven’t made it round every spring flowering shrub by now, perhaps this is the year we’ll get away with it!