Bone dry

A typical Brit is thought never content.  It's too hot, it's too dry...it's too wet, it's too cold.  Seldom happy.  The truth is Britain has seasons; summer is supposed to be hot and sunny, and winter is supposed to be cold and snowy.   2018 has given us a proper winter and now we're having a proper summer.  The issue is that in recent history the British weather is well known to include poor summers.  We're not equipped for extreme weather conditions, be that snow and ice or prolonged "heatwaves".  So does that mean our usual 2 hot sunny days followed by storms is now history?

I'm not going to moan about the sunshine.  I'm not going to moan about the heat... however, as a gardener I'd like some rain now please Mother Nature!  Northern Ireland have a hosepipe ban - if we don't get any rain soon, that will likely be the outcome across mainland Britain too.  The forecast is for Yorkshire's hottest weekend of the year and although it clouded over this afternoon, it remained dry.

R. New Dawn 

Astilbe 

Pink fuzzy Spireae japonica in the Yen Garden. 

Hydrangea Blueberry Cheesecake opening its tiny flowers within blue-purple bracts. 

Succulents are beginning to flower.  They're doing well in the drier conditions.

As are the cottage pinks.

R. Special Anniversary has done really well so far and has further buds forming. 

The yellow daylilies around the pond look fabulous. 

And the first crocosmias are opening.

I can just about remember 1976 with standpipes supplying households with water.  I hope we can avoid such scenes.