31st July 2022

Welcome

We haven’t had rain for 8 weeks and last nights sprinkling was most welcome. East Anglia is England driest area but this year the lack of rain combined with the heat has been exceptional and plants have suffered. We water pots and the Vegetable Garden but, apart from that, only newly planted shrubs in the hope that the established plants have their roots down sufficiently low to get moisture. This hasn’t suited all plants and I never thought I would be welcoming rain, but it would be good to see the grass revert to green.

The Vegetable Garden is producing salad crops, chard, beans, beetroot, cabbage and courgettes. The currants have finished and we are hoping for apples to ripen from the espaliers-picking is a race between us and the wasps!!

The Buddlea along the moat edge have loved the warm weather and they have all been grown from cuttings. On the right of the path the Cat Mint (Nepeta Walkers Low) was cut to the ground after flowering and is coming up again.

The Bog Garden has Zantedeschia growing along its margins- both white and green and the spear shaped plant in the centre is Thalia.

Plants in the Water Garden have been shielded from the sun by the huge Holme Oaks and we are looking forward to the arrival of the flowers in the Autumn Border.

The West Lawn has a lot of white at the moment. The poppy-like flowers by the urns are Romneya, there are white Flocks and I love the white Agapanthus. There is a particularly dark blue Agapanthus growing there which I am hoping will bulk up.

The Verbena Bonariensis against the Oleander in the pots make a stunning picture and the Oleander are loving this weather and flowering better than I have ever seen them.

We still have our 7 cygnets which show no sign of leaving and fingers crossed they will survive.

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker