This is neither the time nor the place to reprimand the climate change naysayers. For those who do not avidly study the UK weather, it is hot here, unprecedented for this vanilla isle, and scarily so. Record breaking temperatures are forecast. We are not talking about good record breaking. There is no one in a blazer from Guinness holding a stopwatch and a clipboard. It isn’t the same as juggling 63 copper kettles whilst whistling Beethoven’s Ninth or being the first to hop the length of Offa’s Dyke dressed as a kangaroo. This is bad record breaking.
Earlier in the year we had “danger to life” storms, now we have “danger to life” heat. “Told you so’s” offer faint satisfaction, a Pyrrhic victory. Apart from the small matter of our survival on this planet, as gardeners this extended dry and hot period poses “danger to life” for our plants. It is often near impossible to keep everything properly hydrated (including ourselves). We have to pick favourites for special treatment, the vulnerable, the special, the sentimental. Tricky. But we struggle on. Anyone crying yet? Or perhaps screaming “for goodness sake, stop your moaning and get on with it”? As I said, not the time or place, we come to SoS for joy not despair. If you want to share some happy souls’ garden universes, pop over to The Prop (who hopefully has not been out running in the crazy heat) and let your spirits be refreshed. Ok, shall we get this done?
I do love a marigold; calendula, tagetes, French, African, Mexican or common, I love the lot of them. In the past I have struggled to protect tagetes from the demon slimy ones. This year I have succeeded. More luck than judgement, I fear. Come back next year and molluscs might have caught on.
Which leads beautifully onto another marigold, although of a different genera. I must warn the purists out there, I am a little vague on the name front this week. Pure laziness. At the end of my last season on Button Moon I collected some seed that took my fancy, with permission, obviously. I wrote “Westwell Hall Buff Calendula” on the packet. One out of six plants came true, or rather what I remember to be true. Not bad. And the others accentuate its glorious dignity with their brightness.
We have a waterlily! It has caused much excitement Chez Nous (forgive me Fred). This is its fifth leaf, the birth of each is carefully monitored and celebrated. If a flower ever appears there will be fireworks. I can’t remember the name, but it has a red flower and is in the diddy category.
Next we have the glorious Dahlia merckii. Last year, or perhaps the year before, I moaned about not receiving part of a dahlia order. This plant was sent to me by the wonderful Anna in Cumbria. To say I was pleased is an understatement. Now allowed to have a free root run, it has done wonders this year. Here it is propping itself up on Diascia personata, a beautiful thug. Thanks again Anna.
I am wittering on a bit this morning, must speed up, my boiled egg is on!
I have never grown monarda in my own garden. This is Monarda ‘Cobham Beauty’. What was I waiting for?
Finally a sunflower. Can’t remember it’s name. Not sure it is necessary.
That is your six. Keep on doing what you can. Keep cool. Keep the faith.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Oh us gardeners do need some rain and non forecast, I’ve almost regretted having too many borders and they are all starting to look a little wilted. As usual the weeds seem to suffer the least, the areas I have let go are thriving in comparison! Perhaps there’s a lesson.
Love your calendula, monarda I gave up on due to mildew.
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No sign of mildew yet, although it is classic mildew weather. It is in quite a shady spot so fingers crossed. Hope you get a paddle this weekend.
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I also planted too many borders and this week I removed one. Covered the sandy soil in membrane and covered in Brita. I will add one feature pot that can be pulled back into the shade as and when temperatures dictate. I am also consolidating vegetables. I hear you!
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Lovely flowers as always
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Thank you, on their behalf x
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Beautiful writing this morning. I hear you. Flowers a bonus.
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Thank you June
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I hear you re the soaring temperatures. It is the same here. We hit 39.9 last week and couple that with a strong southerly Sahra wind and the plants were shrivelling before my eyes. We expect more of the same this week. One or two days is okay, but longer than that as predicted and we are in trouble….Then we have the drought … something is happening to our planet … and the naysayers can do one … virtual hugs
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And I have just this minute replied to your comment on Craeme’s post. How are you? I’ve missed you. Stay cool x
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I do like your header photo because it’s very colorful. I hope the heat wave will not fade all these pretty flowers… If it continues to be hot this summer, I’m sure you’ll have water lily flowers!
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I do like a bit of colour, well a lot of colour really!
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I had very similar thoughts while wandering around Sissinghurst’s Delos garden yesterday, which they never water. I great I should not have bought two hydrangeas recently and should instead have gone for a Mediterranean plant! Lovely six in any case and at least you don’t have to water the water lily 😉 and well done on the tagetes they are lovely.
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*I guess not I great…
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🙂
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I have had to top up the pond though! Mainly because the birds have been drinking out of it and the little sparrows were struggling to reach. 🙂
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Must top mine up too, in our case it’s the wood pigeons who take a drink there (when our chickens aren’t watching).
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Hoorah for the water lily. I’ve regressed to 1976 – not the sharing a bath malarky – but saving washing up water and shower water to water flowering plants. As we don’t yet have a washing up bowl, I’ve put a bucket in the sink with another outside the back door to pour it into. My water butts are almost empty and I need that water for my tomatoes and loofah plants. I’ve also got small bowls of water out for the wildlife and a dish of chopped fruit and 2 year old frozen (not now) blackberries for butterflies.
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Doing our best here on the water recycling. The blackberries for the butterflies is a great idea. We must do what we can.
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That is a pretty sunflower. Monarda’s are new to me, my neighbour split her red one last autumn and gave me two plants, however, I didn’t know the name of it until another SoSer showed us one a couple of weeks ago. I love learning names of my plants this way.
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Gardeners do love to share. It is a lovely plant. ☺️
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Beautiful flowers again. Are these all in your new garden? You have worked wonders already
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Thank you Granny, yes they are. 🙂
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I love those marigolds who a great colour…Snap on the boiled egg on Saturday. It is a ritual chez nous, I get the countdown shouted out wherever I am, normally doing my SOS. Today I was out in the garden watering! Keep cool Sis, I think the maps show we are away from the very worst.
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The synchronicity continues! You stay cool too x
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Six beauties and I agree with you about marigolds, I especially like your arrangement with the purple – lobelia? Are they in a container or the ground? Your garden is coming on in leaps and bounds!
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Yes, well spotted, lobelia which are supposed to be blue but are mixed, horrah!
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Beautiful flowers! I have quite a few plants to be planted and have just been eyeing up the weather for later next week to see if I could plant them during the thunder storms. Given that I currently have a frozen hot water bottle on my lap and it’s ‘only’ 22, I think I’ll be spending late next week recovering from early next week…
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Take care of yourself first, Archie xxx
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Wow! I just looked up your weather forecast. That is crazy hot. Stay cool and I hope your water butt is full. I tried Monarda, mildew for me as well….
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I think I must accept my mildew fate. But before then I will wallow in monarda delusion. Surely I will soon be moaning again 😂
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Wallow away and cut the foliage off the base.
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Gee, I just had to look up the weather there, as well as the hottest weather recorded there. Well, I know it is all relative, and that it is hot by local standards. It is interesting though. What happens when it gets cold during winter? Is that more dangerous?
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Your water lily is very exciting. The minute, daily observation and seemingly outsized rejoicing at any signs of growth are familiar symptoms.
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So sorry to hear about the heatwave there! I hope you get a break soon! Congrats on your new water lily—a good way to invoke a refreshing feeling. And the small creatures need a place like that to keep hydrated. Where I live in Sonoma County, California, it hasn’t been too hot lately, but nature and the garden are dealing with an extended drought. We’ve lost quite a few trees. Trying to be careful with irrigation, and yet keep things alive. … Lovely flowers!
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lovely photos, looks like you’ve been there forever!
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Hurrah for the diminutive waterlily. I have one and I think it cost a small fortune. That Calendula is a beauty. I’m not sure what it will take for the powers that be to take climate change seriously. I’m pondering a rethink with some of my plant choices after a wander around the garden this afternoon to survey the casualties of the past few days.
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