Ignoring the extreme weather we have had in June for a moment, picking up from where I left the planted up long border last month I shall show you how the planting grew and developed over the next few months of 2021. Let’s start with three photos from the beginning of June to show the three parts of the border at that point, starting at the part you reach first, and ending with the “Silver” one: -
These show quite nicely how the Lavendula ‘Hidcote’ Hedge was developing, though you will notice as the photos progress below that as well as all the plants mentioned last month, I put in some self-seeded Verbascum Olympicum; Golden Feverfew (Tanacetum aureum); Linaria Purpurea (Purple Toadflax); bought a few more bedding snapdragons; and scattered some collected Papaver somniferum seed, as I was planting out, to give some more instant effect whilst the little perennial plants were growing and developing. Here at the end of June are the Poppies/Linaria Purpurea flowering away merrily: -
The grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ forester was in full flower (I am behind it for scale!), and you can see some of the bedding snapdragons beside me: -
At the front of the border the Gaillardia aristata ‘Kobold’ had just started to flower.
Here is a “red” patch at the front of the border as well, two different red/purple Penstemons from the Harlequin Series, and a Tree Spinach (Chenopodium giganteum) that had seeded itself in there too with the Poppies: --
Also flowering at the end of June were the Phygelius capenensis and the Salvia microphyllia ‘Hot Lips’: -
And here is a long shot on the 2 July of the whole border showing you how well the Grass Phalaris arundinacea var. picta ‘Feesey’ had bulked up already: -
From the front at the other end of the border on 11 July, you can see the lavender hedge growing along the steps well; the Gaillardia ‘Burgunder’; Penstemons; and Pyyrethrum tanacetum flowering. You can see how large the Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver Queen’ had already got the other side of the obelisk, with a Verbascum olympicum in front of it, and possibly notice I had grown some Cosmos from seed and popped them in there too!:-
Another plant that had bulked up well by mid July was the Verbena Hastata, both’ Blue Spires’, and ‘White Spires’ (‘Pink Spires’, not so much!):-
I must say, I expected the Veronicastrum ‘Cupid’ to also be at that height (and flower in September), so had planted them towards the middle of the bed, but they came up in June and July, and much shorter than I expected:-
Moving towards the end of July, by 25th July the first of the Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Glow’ had started flowering (With Veronica Longifolia flowering through the obelisk behind): -
From above on 25th the first third looked like this (with the white Gladiolus prominent): -
And the mid and silver thirds looked like this: -
From the back/top noticeably more purples and silver foliage plants in all three parts of the border at this point in the growing year.
From the front, taken from the Silver third: -
There you can see the Scabiosa Ochroleuca starting to flower, with the Gaillardia ‘Burgunder’ bottom right, and the darker coloured Cosmos behind, with the Verbena Bonariensis to the left of the Obelisk.
The middle third taken from the path in front of the fern bed showing the Verbena Bonariensis in full flower with the Golden Feverfew (Tanacetum aureum) behind: -
I shall break off there, and resume showing you how the long border planting developed from the end of July (27th on wards) next month and instead turn to talking about trying to garden during June 2026.
Well, reviewing what I wrote for the weather/gardening situation in May, I could almost repeat myself. After the May heatwave we had windy, cold, and quite wet at times weather for the first two weeks of June. On the plus side, apart from pots and undercover plants, we didn’t need to water the main garden. On the minus side the legume family REALLY didn’t like it – not the sweet peas, not the climbing French beans or Runners. Within a few days of planting out, either the wind/pigeons/unknown assailant had done for the first lot of beans planted. The second lot were struck down even quicker, and a third lot had to be purchased and put in halfway through June. Himself’ s mood was not helped by our neighbours on both sides of us having beans at the top of their canes with flowers on before then…. The third lot of beans survived and started to grow. The weather improved for the Summer Solstice, and then of course, we went into THE heatwave with the red heat alerts. It turned out that it was too hot and dry for the neighbours’ bean flowers to set fruit. (Ours of course are too small to be at the flowering stage yet).
You may remember last month we had not yet managed to finish washing the outside of the polytunnel, despite planting the tomatoes out. Father’s Day we managed to finish washing the very top of the tunnel from the stepladders. I had tied in some of the tomatoes, not all, and started side-shooting, but had not yet removed any lower leaves. So, the Monday morning (22nd) the tomatoes all had a second spray against blight early in the morning. Even though I did a bit of watering before 07.00 Monday and Tuesday, it was certainly too hot to be in the polytunnel or greenhouse working. Throughout the heatwave himself did sterling work keeping the vegetables and pots watered, as early in the morning as possible, and tied up tomatoes and watered them in very short bursts, taking a big bottle of water out to keep hydrated, whilst I was in the shuttered house, with a fan on me. As you know, near where we are got the first record-breaking day temperature of the heatwave at well over 36 degrees, with that temperature being beaten successively each day. What with the long days, and the heat dome, the temperature outside didn’t get below 31 until about 21.30 most nights and didn’t fall below about 25 or 26 in the greenhouse or polytunnel at all. Despite that the tomatoes, chillies, cucumber, peppers, and basil coped with the extreme heat well. The basil is romping away, and I am rooting cuttings in water to keep the harvest going.
It felt positively “cool” by the Sunday/Monday when it was “only” 29 degrees, and the air was fresher. It was hazy sunshine that Sunday 28th, so I was in the polytunnel for three hours taking out lower leaves on the tomatoes, tying in and attempting to side shoot – though many of the side shoots were enormous, and I have opted in some cases to have two main stems on plants which had flowers growing on both stems. I had obviously got acclimatised to more extreme heat as I managed gardening in 28/9 degree heat this past week for a few hours a day – it makes such a difference to be able to cool me and the house down as the temperatures drop into the teens overnight.
The baby Yucca filamentosa outside the French windows opened a big flower spike during the heatwave: -
In the shade by the side of the house the Strong Annabelle is flowering well in its pot: -
Outside the Marjoram (Origanum onites) is flowering, covered in gatekeeper butterflies, and the Golden Oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’) is rampant. Courgettes have flowered and we cut our first fruit 1 July; the Gherkins also are doing well. By the middle of June, we were harvesting yellow and red raspberries, green and red gooseberries and have had some strawberries too. All have finished now. Naturally, the heat has caused the Chards, Perpeptual Spinach, and many of the Kales to bolt, but we have been harvesting from them all from mid-June on too.
As I write this the third heatwave is upon us, and the air quality is worsening as the heat rises. The rain kept missing us, and the ground is parched. What will July bring us?
