July

We've been having some very, very dry weather recently. In fact, I think it's been around 6 weeks since we had any rain. My 4 water butts are running rather low but are not yet empty - I'm pleased that we put the bath/reedbed in, because that is reducing the number of pots I have to water from the water butts by 5. Also, I'm now collecting the overspill and using that to water the new trees and various other bits. 

Lots of flowers anyway! The grass is looking a little the worse for the dry spell, but we've hardly bothered cutting it. In fact, it's looking a lot more green that the places that have been mown. (Nextdoor I think have used weedkiller - their's is very, very brown.) The rose on the birdtable has been spectacular, and there are a load of new plants in the bed along the fence that are coming on quite well. 

I spend a lot of time staring at that view. I can't believe how much it's changed over the years really, and it's lovely now. To me, anyway!

The white iceberg rose is lovely too, and the teardrop bed is just overflowing! I really should clear all the rest of that concrete though. Everything in the greenhouse is coming on pretty well too - the tomatoes are getting a bit jungly in there, and most of the small things are planted out now (or should be!). 

Out front, the upper slope has a lot more growth this year, which is great. Needs a little more water in places! The thyme seems to be enjoying the warmth and the dry though, so that's a bonus!

Looking across the path, it's all looking rather lush still! My sweetpeas haven't exactly swamped the arch, but that's actually some of the best flowers I've had on sweetpeas for a long time! They smell rather nice too, although it's hard to pick it out from the smell of overripe strawberries at times. 

The veg bed is looking nothing like as lush as last year, but then I grew a lot of green manure last year which provided lots of slug habitat. This year I'm letting everything get started at least, then I'll sow the green manure in August I think. That should be a little more effective. The potatoes are struggling a little in the dry and I need to put more stuff into the fence quarter. I might change to a three bed system next year, and plant that with perennials like comfrey, maybe some sweet cicely, some Good King Henry if I can find any. 

Lots of things gone to seed in the terraces. Last year's parsley self-seeded rather well, so I'm hoping this will do the same. The currants are showing on the bushes - I've harvested them now (red and white anyway). I need to do something with the curry plant, that dead patch in the middle is bothering me, but it's flowering now so I'll wait. 

Last year's post for comparison...