Notwithstanding the recent heatwaves and absence of any noticeable moisture to slake the desperate thirst of our gardens, Izzy doesn't care much for hot colours in her choice of plants and shrubs although being a cool blonde herself it's perhaps not surprising that she prefers to shun the hot reds and oranges of crocosmia, zinnias and pelagoniums in favour of the more calming, subtle shades of lavender, delicate pinks or dianthus and the creamy, greeny white alchemilla mollis which is a good choice for thriving in dry conditions whilst being loved by our many pollinators.
However, whether you are a cool or hot gardener it looks as though hotter, dryer times are now with us requiring the application of the three 'A's - ie acknowledge, accept and adapt and whilst we can modify our choice of new plants and shrubs to suit changing conditions, existing planting needs a helping hand.
Grass suffers from hot, dry conditions so keep the mowing to a minimum with maximum (almost) blade height and leave the clippings on the surface instead of adding to the compost bin to act as a mulch conserving what moisture there is, but try to remember to keep the bin contents moist by watering them from time to time.
You will already know to water pots, tubs and hanging baskets in the morning or early evening avoiding the heat and rapid evaporation during the heat of the day, but why is it that weeds don't seem to suffer and obviously relish the dry hot weather?
Following on from our relatively kind spring weather, fruit trees are now promising to crop well this year especially plums which creates the issue of how to deal with so much fruit ripening at the same time. Yellow plums make delicious sauces dribbled on ice cream, jellies, jam, cakes and a host of other delights if you can find the time in your busy schedule to seek out the myriad recipes posted on line.
Above all, like Izzy, keep your cool this summer and simply relax out there and drink in the outdoor ambiance and enjoy it.
