After a beautiful week in sunny Cornwall I returned home to face the music. Wilting, yellowing, crispy, scorched. Some things seem okay: the kniphofia and verbena bonariensis look good, the roses are flowering again and the sunflowers have reached dizzying heights. Apparently it’s not a drought. Yet. Just a prolonged dry spell. Here’s six sorry things from the garden.
One
The lawn. Over at Chatsworth the drought has revealed an intricate eighteenth century garden design. Here it’s an old garden path which strangely seems to start half way down the lawn. Lawn is a grand word for this motley sward of yarrow, clover, buttercups, daisies and dandelions. I hope it will recover.
Two
Actaea ‘Brunette’. A little crispy round the edges and very wilted when first spotted. It has revived and I’m optimistically hoping it will still flower later in the year.
Three
As predicted the hydrangeas scorched. They are in sun for half the day and rarely do I get away without some scorch over the summer.
Four
The leaves on the viburnum tree are yellowing and dropping off. It has to compete with a nearby apple tree and tough luck at the moment for anything trying to grow beneath them both.
Five
The rodgersia, planted in the ‘damp’ corner of the garden, next to hydrangeas and siberian irises. I think I might call this one dead, even though there is one small green leaf showing through. I have a sun-loving hebe that is sitting it out on a corner of the veg patch. This could be its moment.
Six
Japanese anemones, ‘September Charm’ amazingly in flower in mid July and now also rather crispy around the edges. A deluge from the watering can may have saved it.
The greenhouse temperatures hit 54.6 degrees. The tomato plants, however, didn’t look too bad and some immediate watering seems to have got them back on track. The cucumbers are also looking good and are delivering well. I don’t think the courgettes enjoyed conditions too much and the onions probably won’t get much bigger. The long range forecast is not showing any rainfall for at least the next two weeks. I am concentrating the watering on the tomatoes, cukes, those plants newly settled in this year and the plants in containers get a slosh from the washing up bowl used to catch waste water. This gardening lark is going to be a challenge over the next few months.
For similar tales of woe, please visit The Propagator who hosts the Six On Saturday clan. A crowd of kind gardening souls from around the world who post from their gardens every week.
n20gardener 
I’m afraid we’re all experiencing this drying of plants. It’s a tough time in the garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very difficult times indeed.
LikeLike
I thought I had an ugly lawn and a grilled garden but seeing your pictures there is still a bit of green here. How sad it is and unfortunately we don’t have much to do…
The local farmers’ forecast tells me that we will have the same weather until the end of August…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that’s the same here. I’m trying to limit watering to the really essential. We might have a ban soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s an astonishing reveal at Chatsworth, a parterre from 1699! Thanks for sharing it. I have also lost a few plants and my ferns are badly scorched, it’s sad. I do hope some of your plants recover.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are on a water meter here and I’m a little nervous about the next bill! Chatsworth was interesting.
LikeLike
Ouch! Things do look a little toasted. I hope they recover. My neighbour’s hydrangeas are in full sun and looking fabulous, but then the hottest temperature we got to was probably around 28 degrees! And we do have the benefit of the occasional misting of Cornish rain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that misting must be the magic ingredient. I was amazed at how well the hydrangeas in Cornwall looked in the sunshine.
LikeLike
Cornwall does do hydrangeas well 😊
LikeLike
That heat was something! It was in the news. Hydrangea and viburnum do not mind such warmth here, but they are likely accustomed to it, since such warmth is common. Yours must be accustomed to cooler and more humid weather. Was the weather arid as well as warm?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Very dry. There were some cases of fires starting and in one case 12 houses were lost. It’s been a year of low rainfall so even the larger shrubs are showing signs of stress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that is scary. Arid warmth is more comfortable than icky humid warmth, but is why our Fire Season is so extensive. While warmth, and particularly arid warmth, is causing so much trouble elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, the weather here is weirdly mild and humid. However, lightning can occur during humid weather. That is how the CZU Fire started two years ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting find at Chatsworth. Sorry to see your scorched garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a battle keeping the new plants going.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a really tough year for our gardens. I hope yours is recovering.
LikeLike