It's Toooooo Hot

We are back to normal now after all our visitors have departed. MIL/FIL and Colin came Friday afternoon. My sister Susan and family arrived Saturday evening. The weather was good enough, if a little breezy at times, for us to have our planned barbecues on the Saturday and Sunday. But now it is toooooo hot...

I knew it was only a matter of time before I started complaining.

I was hoping to finish getting the fruit tree bed dug over in the next week but it is just tooooo hot. I would guess that I am about half way.

Daniel (nephew) helped out a little last Tuesday - it was apparently preferable to being dragged around shops by my sister...

I may try to get out there for an hour or two this evening when it is cooler - it is still quite light here until gone 10 p.m. now.


I am receiving conflicting advice re my potatoes. Reg said he would bring around a sachet of something to spray them with against blight. Jean says she never sprays or waters hers. My books say to water them when they start flowering...

The lettuces are putting on a spurt - all doing well except one. I should be able to start picking a few leaves from the salad bowl ones soon.

It was the Paxton village plant and cake sale just over a week ago. Joy... MIL accompanied me while Paul, Colin and FIL went into Duns to see the JCR around Duns. MIL was very helpful as my plant holder leaving me free to do battle along the stalls. One pot of red onions, one pot of cabbages, one white flowering hardy geranium, one hosta and a tree peony all for a fiver. The veggies are all planted in the raised planters and doing well, as are the two cauliflower plants from Jean.

The plants I ordered from J Parkers all arrived last week other than the spring bulbs that should come in the autumn. I have potted them on. I am now waiting for the weedkiller that I sprayed just over a week ago to do its stuff on the next new section of LB - should only be a few more days before I can start preparing areas to plant up. Two rhodos, two deutzias and two ceanothuses should be enough in the way of shrubs along with one of the daphnes from Edrom nursery that is waiting for the daffs to be rehomed once they die back. Three more hostas and ten hardy fuchsias that I am happy to treat as bedding as they were one of the free gifts - if they survive the winter here that will be a bonus. The lavenders are going in the herb bed as 'dividers' - said to pot them on for 4-6weeks before planting them out. To complete the delivery 5 'tree' lilies - says they will reach 5 to 6 feet tall, and 20 giant Oriental lilies. I really need to try to get everything for the LB planted before I go away in a fortnight's time.

The last of my narcissi have just finished flowering. The tulips are just coming to an end. The 'black' ones from Aldi's have been really stunning, lasting for several weeks. They are destined to be dug up and rehomed in the new LB.

LB4 is looking very colourful at the moment with the yellow poppies and blue aquileguas along with a few hybrids.

Further along at LB7 the saxifrages are putting only their annual display of a carpet of white.

The shrubs are also starting to flower but I fear it may be the swan song of the brooms - a very poor showing this year. I must see whether I can propogate some more before I get Paul in to help me remove them.

The established peonies in the high bank are flowering - for once the wind and rain has not splattered them. The combination with the alliums has worked well I think.

It is a shame that the LB is not looking as good as it should - we are still waiting for the return of the strimmer and the verge is really taking advantage of the situation...