Blog: Take a philosophical view of extreme heat and dryness
After two and a half months of negligible rain and high temperatures, it’s inevitable that there would be some drought and heatwave damage to the garden.
Where I live (Gateshead, Tyne and Wear), we have relatively dry conditions – in the rain shadow of the Pennines and far enough inland not to get many coastal showers or fog. However, any brief showers have bypassed my garden, bar one drizzly patch last week that barely wet the pavement.
It’s a good time to reread Monty Don’s Buddhist approach to gardening and accept there will be losses and victories in a gardening year. I only water with a hose when I have to (no hosepipe ban at the time of writing, once a week maximum, only where needed) and part of the garden isn’t touched at all and fends for itself. The focus is on pots and newly planted shrubs, roses and perennials – they will die if you don’t water them.
Not helping the situation was Storm Hector when I was on holiday, which shredded the raspberries and made the soil dry out even more quickly. For more on dealing with droughts, read my earlier report. For more information on drought, heatwaves and changing weather patterns, visit www.metoffice.gov.uk.
Here’s where the damage is worst:
Drought and heatwave damage – Big-leaved and specimen plants
Rheum (ornamental rhubarb), Rodgersia and Ligularia like semi-shade, moisture and shelter from winds, so have been particularly unhappy.
Bamboo Fargesia Pingwu growing in a barrel, despite copious watering, still has tell-tale dried-up leaves.
Herbaceous perennials
Several Rudbeckia in tall zinc pots weren’t watered when I was away, so they looked half dead, but have recovered well with careful watering and removing withered stems.
Lysimachia and Campanula carpatica are handy space fillers or ground cover where little else will grow, but both are showing severe signs of drought stress. In the unwatered top of the garden, Oxalis, Saxifrage and Achillea are all suffering. Perennial sunflowers (Helianthus) droop at the drop of a hat, so they’re looking awful.
Drought and heatwave damage – Conservatory/greenhouse
The Abyssinian pink banana’s leaves were scorched. I cut off the worst affected and stood it by the open doorway in lower temperatures and some shade.
Fruit
Shredded and snapped raspberries and the strawberries‘ leaves are colouring up (in a bad way).
Drought and heatwave damage – Shrubs, roses
The rambling rose and purple Berberis have severe doses of downy mildew, only to be expected in the dryness.
Even the robust Fatsia japonica is shedding leaves like there’s no tomorrow.
