Puck and I walk in the dark...every morning, every night. It is just in the afternoon that we can admire the turning leaves and many different toadstools and fungi. And in the garden almost everything is turning in for Winter as well.
Whilst he was picking his last tomatoes and beans, I did my last mow...or did I? The grass is making up for those months it did not grow at all!
I mowed my path last week, and mowed it again this week.
And the council mowers were out in force as well. What always amazes me, is that they can mow on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday those toadstools are back! Oh...in case you are wondering...Puck is watching them drilling for yet more cables. Our entire town is resting on cables.
The Plane tree on the ravelin is not turning...yet.
I had planned to cloud-prune my Elaeagnus, but did not, as it is filled with flowers and smells divine! I am sure the last bees are grateful.
Making heatwave related changes
So I took some bedding plants from the balcony to the garden instead. I have decided to go with the flow, you see, and that means downsizing on planters and choosing more heat resistant plants for the balcony. This summer was not only hard on Puck and me, but also terribly hard on my balcony plants. Even daily watering was not enough for a lot of them! I am on the 3rd floor, in full sun all day, so temperatures on the concrete of the balcony were up to 45 degrees C.
That means taking out the plants that sort of survived, and putting them in full soil, hoping that they'll use the coming months to establish in the garden. And it also means I will switch to Mediterranean plants for 2027.
This Gaura is fine! It has passed the heatwave test with flying colours.
My beloved roses, both on the balcony and in the allotment garden, are fine too. They can stay!
But the wild flowers I have sown in the tin planter were a total disaster! The only plants that survived were the white Aster, just about to flower, and the Rudbeckia in front.
The Caryopteris that is playing peek-a-boo from beneath the Lathyrus is fine too. But I suspect only because it was in shade from the Lathyrus all Summer.
Just to remind you what that planter looked like initially...all gone now! Not one of those plants survived the last three scorching summers.
And yet again it is 27°C ! Absolutely ridiculous! Mind you, the early mornings and evenings are fabulous. I took Puck to her favourite spot by the Maas last night, and the full moon was gorgeous. She enjoyed, I think...
My old doggie is walking very slowly...with very frequent stops to recover her strength. I bought her a dog cart years ago, but the silly old girl refuses to sit in it. Utter panic! Despite her stamina she is very stubborn! Right now (7 a.m.) she is still asleep, where normally she was raring to go at 6. Yesterday I had to wake her up at 8.30.
So... It is not just my garden that is winding down, I fear. Old dogs...You get a pup (or in my case a 'whatever age in between 2 and 4'), you love it for years and you know you'll have to say goodbye to it eventually. But it is very hard when you both actually get to that stage.
Right. Have a good week, wherever you are!
Renée Grashoff
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten