I had a few days away at the end of July, and while I was away a drought warning was finally put in place, and the water supply reduced to a low trickle. There was to be no watering of gardens, no topping up pools (we don’t have one, but we do have ponds), and we were only allowed to use water for hygiene purposes. Even though the garden was being looked after while I was away, there’s only so much you can water with second-hand ‘grey’ water from the house.

When I got back, the garden was in a sorry state. I lost all the beautiful willow saplings I’d been nurturing for months, and even my generally hardy plants were heat-stressed or dead. I lost several fruit trees, and some are still on the ‘at risk’ list.

I decided that this was an opportunity to build on my permaculture practice. I started chopping and dropping in earnest (read more about chop and drop in my blog here). Some plants are still putting on lots of growth, so I used the excess for this; winter flowering jasmine, Campsis Radicans (Trumpet Flower), and my trusty carob tree. If I could spare a couple of litres of shower water or water from cooking, I watered at the roots, and then covered with a thick layer of mulch.

I’m in the process of cutting back the Mexican Petunias and Lemongrass, which are the mainstays of the borders so that they are not losing too much moisture from their leaves. With a thick mulch and an occasional soak, I hope they’ll be back to normal once the excessive heat stops.

There are still a couple of peaches on my newest tree, and some tiny figs (the poor tree has had about three goes at fruiting this year!). The tomatoes sun-dried on the vines!

My kitchen grey water waste system has been working well, and the rosemary, curry plant, mint, lavender, and ginger are all survivors!

One of the highlights so far has been the little seating area near the pond, which is currently swathed with honeysuckle and jasmine flowers, and smells absolutely divine! The insects think so too, so whilst people have been complaining on Facebook about their lack of insects, I have plenty here; different varieties of bees, moths, butterflies, hoverflies have been sharing my morning coffee nook with me. Give them what they need, and they will come!

Even though the ponds are only half full now, we still have gorgeous lily flowers, and the birds and insects are using them as drinking stations, which is essential in the extreme heat.

Hopefully, we are nearing the end of this inferno, and I’m hoping even more that there will be rain to come soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy some of the plants that are keeping on giving their all, even when others have curled up their toes!

Happy August gardening!