Newsletter
The thermometer has just cleared 30C - the highest since I set up the weather station in December 2004. Even I have retreated indoors, leaving my plants to survive as best they can. Fortunately most of those in pots are in the shade tunnel, but those still outside are suffering.
Newsletter
The college put out a call on Wednesday for extra help to prepare their show garden at the NEC so Den and I joined a small gang today for the trip down. Sweltering in near 30C we planted hazel trees and fruit bushes in the '5 a day'
Newsletter
I've realised that it is images that inspire me to blog. If I don't have a good picture, I don't feel the impulse to write. And something happens in early June - the late spring show ends, but summer roses and mid summer perennials
Newsletter
With a 50th birthday deadline looming the priority for this weekend was to make some serious progress on J&P's garden. This project started last March, but I've only been back three times since and progress was painfully slow. However, I made up for it
Newsletter
Despite the late spring and heavy rain the blue Meconopsis grandis are in flower on cue at Dunham. Since my parents were up this weekend we took a trip out there to have a good look. My own four 2 year old plants have no apparent flower buds on them
Newsletter
A small band of plucky gardeners braved the downpour this morning for a walk round Dunham Massey. There were some beauties - the meconopsis grandis are just in flower, as is the Magnolia wilsonii. The air was sweet with Azalea luteum and the lush foliage under dripping beech trees gave
Newsletter
What with the rain and work I've done almost nothing for a week. Had a bit of a catch up today after it stopped raining - planted out the french beans and did some potting up and weeding. The tomatoes are ready for final planting out too -
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Since Monday 8th when my replacement started I've had precisely 2 hours in the garden. The lawn is 4" high and covered in dandelions. The beans are rooting themselves into the polytunnel floor and the weeds are winning. It's just been one of those spells
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Another warm day today reaching 25C outside and a worrying 38C in the polytunnel, even with the door wide open. Must remember to open the other end as well. As luck would have it, I spent most of today in a windowless classroom but we did get out for half
Newsletter
My Trillium grandiflorum chose a cool wet afternoon to open for the first time. I'm chuffed as I thought I'd lost it. The rain that was forecast for yesterday finally arrived today. Still no matter. I had two important jobs to do today - both indoors.
Newsletter
The BBC's forecast was for heavy rain for Saturday. My weather station predicted cloud. It was right and they were wrong. However, thanks the Beeb's erroneous prediction, I got into the garden early, expecting to be rained off and had an almost wall to wall day
Newsletter
And I thought Wednesday was warm. Today we reached 27.9C. Me and my fellow Dunham volunteers spent the morning pruning the hydrangeas (yes, still loads more to do) with a hot wind blowing and being rained on by cherry petals. Odd.