Splat

 I saw something similar on Instagram recently and thought it would be great for the little ones, we stopped using water balloons years ago, so much wasted plastics, I cut the sponges up into strips and tied them together with a small cable tie, add to a bucket of water and let the fun begin...

As you can see Molly and George loved playing, and got me very wet, we each had our own bucket of water, we slipped their shorts off before play, I can see them wanting to play every visit, mummy remembered to bring dry clothes. Lilly just kept out of their range, Grancha hid in the sunroom, mummy and Will stayed inside. So much laughter. 

My grapevine is growing, it's probably the only plant enjoying this extended heat wave, it's nice to know it's settled into its growing space. In the same bed my cucumbers are ripening, I get a couple each week, the tomatoes are behind, too much shade from the magnolia tree. 

All I do outside is water and deadhead the flowers, my gladioli are already going over, they are in a sunny spot, I want to move my 2 snowberry plants from the daisy bed, they can't be seen and are wasted in their current spot, hubby has given me a nice pot for them, later in the year I can add spring bulbs. Hubby has an hydrangea in his from garden suffering from the heat, he does not water his garden enough. I have cut back the thyme and sage in my big herb pot next to our seating area, I will move them into individual pots, I can then add to the compost in the big pot and replant the hydrangea, in hope I can save it, it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, I have a geum I can separate and underplant. I'm just waiting for rain before I start moving things.

My runner-beans are still rather ropey, they have started climbing up the poles, hopefully with the slightly lower temperatures they may catch up. I have tried a couple of times to sow lettuce, nothing is coming up, so I will get some small plants this week.

Today will be much the same as yesterday weather wise, just 26°, sounds hot, we have had over 30° for the past 10 days, so it does feel less oppressive, still no rain, now almost 6 weeks, we have had a few cloudy days, I've been looking online for pagan rituals to call for rain just joking. My waterbuts are all almost empty, I try and keep enough for the few plants I can't use tap water.

Growing and picking

 I adore these fleabane daises, I cut them back a couple of weeks ago and now they are in full bloom again, this bed at the back of the lawn looks so good, all through the summer the daisies are the star. I have planted more around the veg section in nooks, hoping it looks as if they made their own way there. 

A few more blooms around the garden , yellow rose, gladioli just four this year, an unexpected aquilegia, again I have 4 plants in the daisy bed, this one broke as it grew, so with new shoots some late flowers. The white spikes are new this year, a £5 small plant from our market guy, which I have grown on, Physostegia, crystal palace white, it should return every year, it's in my side bed. 

My white lavender is huge, I have take some cuttings in hope of more plants, I have agapanthus growing in 3 spots, these tall flower heads add structure, and look very pretty. I have started to add flowers which tumble over the edge of the beds, which I do like the look of. 

I have new growth on my grapevine, I read online what to do with it, the first year in the ground like most plants is important, I put mulch around the soil where it is planted and I have an old white tea towel protecting it from the fierce heat of the day, just for a few weeks until it is settled. 

I saw a meme, 'no one wants to see your first tomato harvest', sorry this is mine, two different varieties, the plants are both full of flowers and fruits, my cucumber is producing more fruits, my lettuce has slowed down in this heat, I do have more on the way. 

I can't do much in this heatwave, I water on nights when the garden requires it, I do enjoy the task, I can take note of everything growing, we are not sitting out much, the tennis has been our company most afternoons and evenings, this is definitely the year to sit and watch the garden. Our hedgehog has been missing for a couple of days, we have plenty of birds all sizes, the bigger birds can't get to the feeders, they come in for the water. 

I do everyday ensure the birds and other wildlife have fresh water, I have 3 different spots plus the pond, the pond is full of slimly weeds, there is not much I can do, I try and clear as much as I can, I tried a barley straw bale, which did not do much, as always I checked online and basically my pond is too small and in too much sunlight to keep it clear, the weed does not impact on the pond and will clear once the weather changes. 

Hubby noted some damage to a rack when cleaning his new BBQ, B&Q wanted to send him a new BBQ, hubby declined, he spoke to manufactures, who could/would not sent out spare part, back to B&Q, the choice a replacement BBQ or £50 refund to close the matter, hubby chose the refund, he can live with the slight damage.

Back in my garden

 The recent heatwave has scorched my raspberry plants, just the top new growth leaves, this is a very sunny spot, so far my summer raspberries have ripened OK. 

My runner-beans are also scorched and not growing well, it's another sunny spot, I have another rouge potato growing.

I have planted my grapevine in one of the veg beds, the roots are in a shady spot, the vines grow into the sunshine, I hope to train the vines along these arches, which are placed for the tall raspberries on the other side.

I transplanted this red rose to a big pot last year, it struggled in the ground, I am happy to see this bloom and more buds, more red here from the crocosmia, lucifer. I pulled these out years ago, and most years I pull out the new growth, this year I decided to let a few grow in with the agapanthus.

We did not have many blooms on our magnolia tree in the spring, the squirrels ate most of them, so again I'm pleased to see so many blooms, the tree is looking good.

We seriously need rain here, the last time it rained was 10th June, over 3 weeks ago, my water butt levels are dropping fast, we have had a couple 10 minutes of fine rain which dried up very quickly, there is no rain in our forecast. I have purchased a rain measuring unit, just so I can see what amount of rain we get, I might bore you over the coming months with results. Southern water is bringing in a hosepipe ban soon, luckily we get our water from Portsmouth water and they have a statement saying their water supplies are good.

I dug out my 3rd bag of new potatoes, we are cutting lettuce every day, and my cucumber plant is producing more cucumbers, the tomatoes will be ready soon, I pick raspberries a couple times a week, the strawberries have finished, we have stopped pulling rhubarb, but there is plenty in the freezer. Sweet peas are still blooming.

We are having to watch Lilly, the huge black and white male cat from next door has started coming into our garden and attacking her, hubby has chased him away a few times, we have loaded our big water pistol with lemon juice to squirt at him, it does not harm him, cats dislike citrus which stays on their coats after the water dries and hopefully will deter him.

I've done very little since coming back from our break, my tummy is playing up, my doctor wants to repeat my blood test, and I will do another stool test, the surgery gave me the wrong test last time. I'm living on salads, steamed fish, avoiding breads and any flour based products, tonight I will make a paella seafood for me, chicken for hubby, I have two small pans and I'm happy to make different flavours.

Shh don't tell hubby

After chatting with my sister, I searched for table, dessert, hardy green grapevine, I found one with  5* reviews, so I ordered it, it has been grown in the UK and is already hardy, it won't be ready to fruit for two years, I can wait. She set the challenge with if I can grow them so can you, I have a perfect spot for it once the temperature drops, for now it can stay in it's pot.

I popped to look at the plants in our market, his plants are always sturdy, I'm not a dahlia lover, I do like red pompoms, mum always grew them in her garden, so this one followed me home, plus 6 begonia bedding plants for my big blue pot. I have taken 2 cuttings off the dahlia, they do root well in water, hopefully some extra free colour by next month. 

Kitchen window sill is a sunny spot, my spider plant loves it here, it looks good in my hand painted pot, in front our my latest cuttings, dahlias, white lavender and more gaura 

Foolishly I then saw Farmer Gracy had their tulips listed and went a bit mad, I am determined to have a good show next spring, I already have new pots, I think I had better stop looking and pack my bank card away. Last year the tulip bulbs I got from our favourite garden centre either had loads of bulbs failed or in a couple of cases the wrong colour. These will arrive September time.

To finish the deals, I got this gypsophila at Lidl, just £1.99, it's in my big blue pot with half of the begonia bedding plants. This one does not grow too high, not need, just another I saw it so I got it. I think it looks much better than just begonias, hubby took the other 3 for his front garden.

I used the poppies from my summer silk flowers here, so the arrangement looked a bit pale, I was looking for replacement red blooms, until these orange ones caught my eye. I'm happy it fills the small corner by the patio doors, bringing the garden inside.

It has been an expensive couple of weeks, I can always find nice plants and bulbs, I keep saying the garden is full, but I always find spaces, I happily pass on purchasing anything for the house or myself, I have been recently been good on our last trip to B&Q, I did not look at plants.

We are on our delayed couple of days in Oxford, the weather is cooler for us, it's a few years since we visited, I love all the old buildings, this being our last trip away until September when the children will be back at school, we will stay local for the summer holidays, we plan to pop to Somerset to visit family, the village and towns are not so full of people, our area is always very busy.