Hotswolds

After such a run of dismal summers - since 2007 - we'd almost forgotten what summer weather was like.  It continues to be hot and dry, meals are still outdoor events and the watering can is in regular use.  There were a few thundery-looking clouds on Sunday afternoon but the sky then cleared again.  I've been weeding in the shade when possible and generally trying to keep everything alive.

Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'

The roses are in full flood, and in the long grass yesterday I spotted three blooms on peony 'Sarah Bernhardt', which I had omitted to stake (and feed).  Poor Sarah has a hard life; I must do better for her next year.  The best of the blooms is now in a vase indoors: a huge pink, scented powderpuff and really impressive.  The Polemonium is seeding nicely in among all the grass and self-sown geraniums; that's another plant in need of rescuing next year.

On the edibles front, the broad beans are just coming to picking size, the gooseberries are nearly ripe and there are two big trusses of blackcurrants which I've protected as best I can - but not quite well enough, as the thrush demonstrated to me yesterday by slipping inside the mesh and plucking one to feed to its little one.  Baby thrush is very demanding and very vocal, so I couldn't be too angry.

There are still young blackbirds being fed too, and at least two dunnocks, not to mention all the sparrows.  A week ago we had a huge flock of young starlings fly into the holly tree, and another day there was an even huger flock of crows passed over.  The swifts continue to feed around here; two of them were coming very low round the house the other day.

Al fresco

The sun is shining, it's very warm and Andy Murray has won Wimbledon.  It's summer.

Hay while the sun shines

We've had unbroken summery weather since late last week; since Saturday all meals have been al fresco at the bottom of the garden (though work regime starts again tomorrow and workday breakfasts are always on the run).  Temperatures today were mid-20s in the shade, though an easterly breeze kept it bearable.  Farmers are making the proverbial hay while the sun shines (I should add that the nettles in the foreground of the photo are in the field edge on the other side of the fence, not in my garden!), attracting a fair number of seagulls and crows, and the sparrowhawk sitting on the telegraph pole, but I saw a blackbird gathering food there too, so the usual resident birds are benefitting also.  The young starlings have started to appear, and the sparrows and robins continue to feed their little ones; chaffinches are about, and there was also a family of goldfinches (including little ones wanting feeding) round the pond this afternoon.  Have I mentioned before that we've had the usual young greater spotted woodpeckers around? and we heard a green one yaffling somewhere the other day.  There have been a few swifts around too, as well as the usual house martins and swallows, and a partridge has appeared in the past few days.

Most of the roses are now in flower, the Big Yellow Thing, the Phlomis and the Stachys are coming out and I keep hoping that the peony will open soon too.  Today I noticed that the Thalictrum, half-hidden behind rose 'Mme Hardy', is fully out, complementing the Buddleia alternifolia which is just starting to bloom.  This weekend's work included thinning the apples -  not too much to do there this year - and to start pruning the cordons.  It's a bit early for that, but I discovered a lot of aphid attack and some nasty-looking blotchy leaves on them and thought that some more air in there would be helpful (not to mention getting rid of as many of the horrible bits as possible); each tree was also treated to two bucketfuls of water as the ground is starting to get really dry.  I also planted out some beans - trying 'Moonlight' and 'Ferrari' this year - and some of the ornamentals I bought the other week - Dianthus 'Devon Dove' (white) and 'Cranmere Pool' (two-tone pink) among others.  The old herb patch is turning into a scented garden, although there are a few non-scenteds (notably the courgettes!) in there this year.

Still too many weeds and not enough time to get them out.

Just-in-time weeding

I practise just-in-time weeding.  Given the task of keeping on top of what has become a very weedy plot, I manage by targeting specific weeds just before they can set seed and make the problem worse.  The vetch is very nearly all out (that is to say, the flowers and most of the stems ripped up; the roots of course are another matter entirely).  The herb robert is coming out as and when I spot it, and the lesser willowherb too.  I've been tacking the creeping buttercups, and the herb bennet is next in line before its burrs can ripen.  The grasses are also in flower; in what is meant to be an open space by the hedge they are waist-high in some places, with their plumes providing a romantically summery haze around the geraniums (which are also weeds in this case).  So far I'm keeping ahead of the seeding ...

Windy spells have knocked the poppies around, but the roses continue to come out: the albas and Old Blush China are in flower, Mme Hardy is just starting and Comte de Chambord and Gallica Officinalis are showing colour on the buds.  And the honeysuckle, which I always forget to mention because it's out of sight at the bottom of the garden, is in full flower, as is the purple Verbascum under the ash tree (it has made a rather better showing this year). 

The sweet peas planted last week seem to have settled in.  To my surprise I also found two winter squash seedlings; these had failed to germinate indoors and before we went on holiday I dumped the seed tray outside out of the way.  Only noticed last week that two of them had in fact come up; so they have been put into a clear bit of ground in the veg plot.  I'm also trying to provide a better screen for the gas tank.  Some years ago we bought a Photinia (I say 'we': it wasn't actually my choice) and it has sat unloved in its pot since then for want of anywhere to put it.  A Buddleia and several ash seedlings germinated in there, and it looks as if the root competition has kept the Photinia's rootball small; this made it ideal to plant in the very shallow, stony soil in front of the tank.  I hope it's happier there.  I'm also trying a row of rosemary plants in front, which should like those conditions and help hide the tank once they grow up.

Pondlife 1: Damselflies on the iris

There were several damselflies (I counted four at one point) around at the weekend, especially near the pond.  The pond life is doing quite well; there are at least two smooth newts in there, and the iris and waterlilies are in flower.  On the bird front, there is still much feeding of little ones, with the sparrows, blackbirds and robin very active; a baby robin flew into the summerhouse at the weekend and I had to leave the door open to let it escape (which I think it did, though you can never be sure).

The weather has been on the cool side mostly, but is to warm up for the next week or so.  Dare we hope for summer?

Pondlife 2: Waterlily