On the whole the weather has been warm and fine with sufficient rain to aid good plant growth. Much of our recently planted plants have grown well and now cover most of the borders we dug this spring.
The beds are looking surprisingly mature. Seed sowing and potting on in the greenhouse has not stopped all summer. At times it has been difficult to know where to put the plants. We are now overrun with Yellow Achilleas, Evening Primrose, Broom, Penstemons, and many more. All waiting patiently for the new borders to be dug in autumn.
Injuries prevented all but essential work in the garden during late July and August. This led to a massive clear up operation as soon as fitness returned. Hedges were growing to create an untidy mess; these were cut several times to keep pace with their rapid development. The grass has required weekly cutting and edging. There are serious weed infestations in some areas of the grass. These will get attention in the autumn.
The wildflower meadow looked like a muddy plain for much of the summer. Ribwort plantain gradually grew well along with a few Musk Mallows, Buttercups and Yarrow. By the middle of August we had a flourishing wildflower meadow full of insect activity. We were delightfully surprised by how wonderful it looked. Although the seed had germinated in a patchy fashion this should even out over the years as more seed germinates.
The Dock in the wildflower meadow has grown well despite being ploughed up. So we embarked on a programme of pulling up this smothering weed. Since the soil was moist this was not too strenuous except for a number of very established plants which required cutting. We are unlikely to kill all the dock but at least it will weaken the plants. If we remove dock in this way each year their numbers will decline and allow the meadow to develop. It may be a labour intensive method of controlling this perennial weed but it does not involve the use of toxic chemicals. Regular mowing will also help in achieving our goal
