Poppy Patchwork


My little bit of this big World

Monday 15 August 2022

What to save

My poor gardens are not looking good, I have stopped fighting this heatwave and drought, now I am doing damage limitation, the bedding plants won't last much longer, my 3 beds are really looking sad. I have cut back plants in hope to save them.


I still have raspberries here, 
but they are struggling, these I do still water.
The tomato and cucumber plants are not producing, and it would take too much water to produce what limited harvest they give, I will compost these plants.
My herbs, which we use and the Olive tree, are close to the back door, they get water saved from kitchen sink, we are both washing our hands in this sink after using the loo which is next to the kitchen. 
Some flowers are loving this heat the begonias are doing really well. This display on my metal table is looking OK, the pink flower at the back is in a pot, the flowers at the top of the stem is pretty, but the plants is looking fairly weak. 
Everywhere is just so dry, as I said in my last post, rain has not fallen for weeks, the heatwave over the last few days is over, but the temperature is staying in the mid twenties, and loads of dry days. We often get a sunny warm days in early September, so I am working along the lines, we won't get any heavy rainfall for another month. My rain catching water buts are almost empty, I am now only using the rainwater on plants that need it, my blueberries ect.  

Anyone reading this not in UK, our weather patterns have really changed in the last few years, our summers are normally as many wet days as dry, so we are not good in drought situations, low twenties was our highest temperatures, and not for many days. We have over the last couple of years, changed how we save and use water here, but we do need to do more. We live in south Hampshire in a dry area, the north of England and Scotland have fewer issues with water. 

Loads of leaves are falling from the trees and plants as each tries to save itself, our lawn is fake, so I don't have to do anything with it, we are keeping the birdbath and the bird drinking places full of fresh water, our garden is busy with birds, I think other people have stopped feeding the birds, as the numbers visiting are more now. 

I am surprised how much water we are saving from keeping a bowl in the kitchen sink, it's not a proper bowl, but a big plastic bowl I use for cooking, I do hate to see it there, but is does a great job. 

I have everything crossed we get the thunderstorms promised in the next couple of days, we often miss such storms, the rain won't be enough, but it will help in the weeks to come, if the garden can get a good soak. 

6 comments:

  1. Yes my garden is much the same. We are supposed to have rain here later today but no sign yet. I'm so glad it's turned cooler today, I'm not a fan of the heat

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  2. Same here too, Marlene, the garden is suffering badly even though we use grey water on it. The lawn is just a dust bowl. Cooler here at the moment but no sign of rain yet. Fingers crossed that it WILL come today or tomorrow. It's lovely having doors and windows wide open though with just a little cooling breeze coming through. The monitor still shows 25.5C in the house but it's better than the 30c yesterday!

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  3. We're in Yorkshire in the north of England but we're still entering drought conditions, we have a hosepipe ban coming into force next week. A sunken village in the West Yorkshire Pennines has reappeared after the water levels have dropped so much in a reservoir. I think the lack of water is the same all over the country after the high temperatures we've encountered this year, everywhere is parched and there's fires springing up daily around here as it's so dry. Yes, the plants are definitely struggling this year, though we're forecast thunder storms this afternoon so we'll see if they bring any rain with them. Flash floods are forecast for the south of England this week, it goes from one extreme to the other.

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  4. I can understand your feelings about your garden/pride and joy. It's such a shame watching things go crispy. The amount of water we ( on the who, humans ) waste is shocking because we are so used to not going without. It is precious and I also now save the tap water I run to get hot and washing up water etc for the garden. I'm lucky not to be on a meter or in a drought area but I still try and do my bit. Will do a rain dance for you later on!

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  5. Luckily we don't have many bedding plants, and I can definitely tell which plants have the deepest roots. Turns out dandelions are tough things and a mere drought won't see them off! x

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  6. Yes our poor gardens are suffering as are the farmers too, it is not easy for humans or animals alike...
    We do need rain and lots of it, I may have to join my grand-daughter in a rain dance :)

    All the best Jan

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