Its a long time since I last wrote and its mainly because the almost constant rain has caused certain nursery owners to feel rather dispirited. The number of customers through the gate has diminished which means that there’s little sense of urgency to get things done. On the rare occasions when the rain lets up I have dashed into the garden to pull up weeds or get some more plants planted. The other day I had about 20 minutes pulling up rather overgrown weeds and filled the wheelbarrow to overflowing.

One recent visitor to the garden expressed some surprise when I suggested that wellies might be a good idea because the ground is so wet. She declined the offer and went on regardless. When she reappeared she admitted that perhaps I was right but wandered why it was so wet…………duh, possibly because there’s been so much rain?? The next person who says something along the lines that at least we don’t have to water the plants just might get biffed, its really no consolation.

The slugs and snails are out in force. I use slug pellets sparingly but my best method is to have a bowl of soapy water and to scoop up the slimey creatures and pop them in to dissolve. Quite satisfying in a gruesome kind of way.

I grudgingly have to admit that many plants are benefitting from being in wet soil. They are generally taller than the last few summers when they struggled to get enough moisture. The roses are looking fantastic, veronicas are thriving and the poppies have looked wonderful.