My Garden in July & August

This is a bit of a combination of months. I feel I’ve let my garden get away from me this year. It’s been such a hot summer and the garden has really suffered! I’m sure a lot of other people are in the same boat.

Our lawn has become really parched. We have clay soil, which is usually too wet and means the grass dies over winter. This summer it has become too dry and the grass is barely alive. I’ve tried to give it a feed but I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle, plus there’s more to life than a green lawn. Right?

The cosmos I planted in my cutting bed is doing really well, as is the Nigella. The lavenders are loving this hot weather and have performed really well, attracting loads of bees and butterflies. We’ve even seen a Holly Blue, which my Holly was very excited about.

The apple trees have become a victim of their own success. I’ve had to support them because they are so full of apples this year! I thinned a few out and the tree shed some more, but it’s still a bumper crop (despite this image!). We just need to get to them before the mice do.

One of the surprises in the garden is the Nicotania. I didn’t expect that to do well, having bought a load in error, but it’s doing really well and has a lovely scent.

I’m also rather proud of my dahlias. Despite the frost almost killing them, they’re doing well. I have a Cafe au Lait which has been attacked by wasps though! I’ve used a garlic spray to try and fend them off, and this seems to have worked. Apparently the inside of the dahlia is sweet and the wasps are ripping the stem to get to the sweetness.

Ignore the scratty state of the garden. Hopefully by this time next year the hedges will have grown up a little, I’ll have a new flower bed and I’ll be able to cut down the scraggly honeysuckle growing on the railings at the bottom of the garden. It’s still a lovely place to enjoy an ice cream!