How has the exceptionally dry summer affected your garden? At Charnwood we have suffered a few losses.  Some we won’t worry too much about: we won’t be losing any sleep over not having mint rampant among the borders, or that dark leaved Lysimachia ‘Firecracker’ with the dainty yellow flower popping up everywhere.  Both are rather thuggish and no doubt will return next Spring. Losing a couple of little trees and shrubs has been much sadder including  an Acer and a Daphne. In wetter times I’d use it as an opportunity to plant something else but, given the regular watering new things need, I confess the gaps they have left remain until the weather gets wetter.  One thing I have been grateful for this year more than most is our water butts.  We have 4 large ones around the garden.  Ericaceous plants especially enjoy rainwater rather than tap, so blueberries, acers, magnolias and camelias have all had a good, regular soaking from the closest butt.  It is surprising how small a roof and short a rain shower you need to fill one up too. 

So I do try to use rainwater as much as possible but carrying cans full across the garden during those long hot and dry weeks was getting a bit much for a woman of my age! So I stuck to giving it to the much treasured and recently purchased plants such as Magnolias and Dogwoods.  They are both hanging on as I write.  I have learned not to be too hasty, if a shrub is looking like it’s popped it’s clogs, I  gently  scratch the surface of a  branch.  If there’s a hint of green in my experience it may well survive so it’s worth giving it a chance to recover until next Spring. A good soak and a mulch followed with crossed fingers will help it on its way. 

Some things have surprised us too, the roses have been magnificent without much mollycoddling.  For a plant that produces such beautiful, delicate flowers they really are as tough as old boots. We cut down a Foxglove Tree last year as it was crowding out a border.  It responded by throwing up several huge stems in late Spring over 3 metres tall and covered in massive leaves.  A quince tree we planted last year has shown no signs of stress, clearly another toughie in the plant world. 

Gardening in these conditions does require a bit of a rethink though.  Salvias have done really well here this year.  I’ve several varieties of the woody kinds, ‘Hot Lips’ being one.  They seem to thrive better than the herbaceous types such as Amistad that I can never keep going beyond a couple of years.   I always take a few cuttings in late summer and pop them in the greenhouse, they strike easily and grow on well when planted out in Spring when the frosts are done. Sedums, Phlomis, Lavender and Rosemary have all done well and hardy geraniums have been fine. 

It's time to think about next Spring, the bulb catalogues have been arriving since July. My go-to company is de Jager: I get the wholesale catalogue as I tend to order in relatively big quantities but there is plenty of choice both online and in garden centres now.  Get your daffodils in soon, the dainty but tough little ‘Hawera’ are my current favourite but the choice is huge.  Tulips are best left until October but when you have time and energy is always the best time to plant.  I’m also a fan of those little iris bulbs that flower really early, they fill a little pot beautifully. Those often-quoted words of Audrey Hepburn seem especially relevant during these uncertain times: ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow’. So let’s get planting!