The garden 2018-06-17 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Drought didn’t kill the garden
Despite the drought, the garden is not dead even though the grass is far from green and there are tones of yellowish-brown all over the place. But in time for Midsummer the rain arrived. In 48 hours we had 17+25 mm of rain. Much needed really.
Garden 2018-06-17. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The black currants (the two large bushes in the middle of the picture above) are coming fine this year again.
Black currants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The branches of the black currant bushes get heavier and heavier for each day as the berries ripen. Two more weeks I woudl guess before they are ripe enough to be picked. Tasted one of the black ones but it is still extremely sour.
Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The foodstation for the birds is now closed for the season. No more seeds for a while. For a couple of days the birds were confused and kept coming and they cleaned under the foodstation in the grass. But there are fewer and fewer birds each day that passes. I miss having there to look at, but I simply cannot afford feeding them the year around. It gets quite expensive. And during the sumemr season they should be able to find food themselves. Or it the worms and insects on the plants…
The hollyhocks will soon bloom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The hollyhocks were not affected by the drought. They will soon bloom. They do not grow in the exact same place as last years though. They have “moved”. And they grow in an awkward place in the flowerbed just at the entrance to my outside place. They are healthier this year though than last. Fewer bugs on them. They seem to have liked all the sun and warmth we’ve had.
The flowerbed at the entrance to my outside place. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The digitalis are fewer this year than last and they are blooming just now.
Digitalis. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The digitalis are also not at all that high as last year. Probably also caused by the drought. Watering flowerbeds and bushes by the garden hose makes them survive, but it is not enough in the long run. The drought lasted about five weeks.
White bluebell. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The bluebells are blooming now. Bothe the white ones and the blue ones. The white one has moved about 50 cm since last year. Probably by seed. The original one is gone.
Large bluebells. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Small bluebells. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Both the large and the small bluebells are blooming. The large ones are much fewer this year than last. Partly because I actively removed a lot of the large ones in the autumn. Partly because of the drought I would guess. There are more of the small ones though.
Wine. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
One plant that also loved the sun, warmth and drought is the wine. Last year we hade two flowers on it. This year several. Hoping there will also become grapes of them. Beacause the high summer kind of began already around may 5th you forget that it is still only June and most of the summer in front of us yet. It is early days yet for the greenery.
Helenium Moerheim Beauty. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Everything is early in development, and everything bloom out very fast with the warmth we’ve had. I cannot remember that the Helenium Moerheim Beauty has started to bloom this early before.Its flwoers are just starting to open up.
Lambsear “Big Ear”. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The lambsear “Big Ear” is also just starting to bloom. After the rain I had to steady it by hanging it on the lilac bush branches as it was very wet and heavy. When it dried it stood by itself again.
Lambsear at the foot of the lilac. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The lambsear grows at the foot of the lilac, which had plenty of flowers this year. Because of the drought, the flowers on the lilc only lasted about a week though. The bush to the left of it ( a goatsbeard) still looks the same even though the flowers are finished. Both bushes have reached their max-height for the season. The lambsears are still growing and there will be more than those two flowers on them.
Lavender. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Also the lavender has thrived from the drought, warmth and sun. Despite not cutting it in the spring or last autumn, it is larger than ever to the joy of the bumblebees and bees.
Acanthus. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Also the acanthus will bloom this year and has obviously liked the warmth, sun and drought. It hasn’t done that since the year it was planted (which I think is 3 years ago). The flower is slowly growing and I hope it makes it and opens up. Had forgotten how the flower looks so had to google it. The plant itself is now three plants. I move the original one a couple of years ago because it was at a bad location in the flowerbed. But apparently I forgot a part of it because last year they were two plants. It also has spred by roots (I guessI because this year Iäve seen a tiny third plant as well, just between the two larger ones. If the other large one will bloom this year or not still remains to be seen.
Beach roses in the backgarden. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
In the backgarden the beachroses have grown a lot since I cut them down to about 15 cm in height some time in April. Despite the drought and the fact that they have gotten no water or rain at all except for the rains around Midsummer they have grewn a lot and their flowers are now starting to come too.
The rosebush.. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Our rosebush (probably a Chloris it is said), a rose with almost no thorns and a fragrance which is heavenly, had lots of flowers this year. They lasted just one week and are all gone now. For a change it didn’t have any lice this year. Thanks to the drought Id guess.
The hostas behind my outside place. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
The hostas along the plank of my outside place do not like drought and warm weath and sun. But these one grow along the fence behind outside place and are in the shadow most of the day. I’ve watered them thoroughly all along the dry period. The all green one is larger than ever, the one with white edges is also bigger than usual. Tehy will soon bloom. Iäve spied the flowerbuds under their leaves.
Honeysuckle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
My two old honeysuckle are blooming a lot and have also grewn a lot this year. I have two kinds of honeysuckle. One is the regular pink and white one, the other one is this orange one. Both started their life on the balcony of my previous flat where they were until I move here in October 2009 and planted them on the corner of the high plank of my outside place. Two years ago they looked really poorly and I gut them down a lot, both of them. They came back fine last year and this year even more. Do not look too close on them though…
Lice on the honeysuckle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
Particularly the pink and white one has lots of lice. The orange one not so bad. There is no pint in even trying to get rid of the lice. They stay where they are and do not move on to other plants and even though they look like in the above picture, they do not seem to harm the plant itself.
Another plant that has thrived this spring is the wild wine (parthenocissus) which got a new bow all for itself. The plant itself I’ve had on the corner of my outside place for some years and it hasn’t really grown that good until this year. It really likes the airiness of the rose-bow. Have to get up on a ladder to tuck in the new branches soon though…
I wish this summer still brings more sun and warmth. Despite the drought we’ve had.
Wild wine, parthenocissus. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018
