The Unexpected Heatwave

Published on by Catherine

When I packed my cases towards the end of May and headed off to visit my family in Washington D.C. never did I think that home would be in the grip of temperatures almost as high as they were in D.C. – with barely a drop of rain. This is Scotland after all, and I thought any problems in the garden would have been caused by wind, rain or a late frost. That was not to be, and although my son had dutifully watered the garden weekly as I requested, it just wasn’t enough.

I’ve been home for a couple of weeks now, and busy with family, the garden, and life in general. I could ramble on all day about the damage the unexpected heat and drought made to the garden, but instead, I’ll share with you, a few of the photos I’ve taken over the past two weeks of…wait for it…torrential downpours, strong winds and (for July) ridiculously low temperatures (Highs of 14C (57F)! Quite the opposite of what I returned to such a short time ago.

But it’s been a learning experience:

  • I’ve figured out that it’s a totally bad idea to go on holiday at the end of May if you’ve just planted a load of delicate plants. (Does anyone actually do that!)
  • We have zero control over the weather. We just have to accept it for what it is.
  • Coming home to a messed up garden is just going to happen, no matter what.
  • Turning chaos into order has its positive side – it involves more trips to the garden centre. That has to be a good point, doesn’t it!
  • Stressing about it is just a waste of energy!

It’s Six on Saturday, so let’s make a start with the Roses. While we were away, they were having a party! Though many of their leaves had shrivelled and dropped, and other plants had died, these tough roses seemed to be thriving in the hot sunshine. The garden was overflowing with rose blooms and perfume. The weeds thrived too but once I got the worst of those cleared away and deadheaded everywhere, the camera appeared and did its thing.

Here is everyone’s favourite, Rosa Gertrude Jekyll, alongside Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’.
Rosa ‘Jacqueline du Pre’ – one of my favourites.
Rosa ‘Princess Anne’ – a beautifully perfumed rose.
Rosa ‘Francois Juranville’ – a rambler with a fruity, apple fragrance.

The Peonies had bloomed and were mostly gone. One lone peony – in a shadier position – was holding on with two relatively modest, but pretty, flowers. I’m not sure which variety this is, but I like how it’s teamed up with the Astrantia, and the army of spears, Allium sphaerocephalon, standing upright in the background.

Peony, Astrantia and Alliums

There’s so much more to share, and I’ll do my best to add to the blog as the weeks go on. This is a hectic time, trying to smarten up the garden, feed the plants and find replacements for those that succumbed to the heat and lack of rain, and now repairing damage after unrelenting heavy rain. Another daughter and her family will be arriving for a visit fairly soon – and not long after they leave, we’ll be back at the airport picking up our two American grandsons who’ll be with us for a few weeks. Busy times ahead!

I will end today on a positive note with the image that I began with – Rosa ‘James L. Austin’. This beautiful rose is thriving in the rose bed, standing proudly as a standard tree rose. Currently, there are no flowers adorning the tree, but fear not – it’s a repeat flowerer! Soon, new growth will emerge, bringing with it more richly coloured blooms. And with a little luck, we will also be greeted with some pleasant summer sunshine!

The rich magenta-coloured Rosa ‘James L. Austin’ is a standard tree rose.

Have a lovely weekend, and if you’re out in your garden, I hope the weather is being kind to you! 

Jim is hosting Six on Saturday, so be sure to make a quick visit and discover the contributions from others. I’m sure you’ll be delighted by the wonderful selection of plants and flowers that are on show, along with an abundance of valuable advice!

P.S. I failed to mention it – but I had an absolutely, lovely time with my daughter and her family – and it was great to be back in DC, even though the President didn’t invite us in for Afternoon Tea! 😁

25 thoughts on “The Unexpected Heatwave”

  1. Welcome back. It has been a funny summer so far (again). Those roses look wonderful, especially with their companion plants that work so well with them. I’m thinking Astrantias and Salvias may be the way forward in my garden. Enjoy your family time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Graeme, it’s nice to be home. I have more astrantias than I’ve planted. I think they must be spreading themselves around. 🙂 Another good companion plant to grow with roses is Ammi. For some reason I can’t ‘like’ anyone’s comments. I think it’s a Safari problem rather than WP, but I’m trying to fix it.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. The heat was so extreme, even daily watering didn’t guarantee survival so your comments about zero control etc are spot on. You still have lots of lovely plants to photograph though.

    A busy time ahead, but also a very enjoyable one so have a lovely time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Everything’s getting back to normal here, Helen, with plenty of (too much!) rain. The grass is turning green again, and some new plants are on their way to fill a few gaps. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Fred. Caradonna is the only Salvia that gets through the winter in this garden. I’ll have to get a few more of them, I do like them in the rose bed.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Your roses and peony are so beautiful in spite of the weather while you were away, love the combo of Gertrude Jekyll and the salvia, did you know the salvias are supposed to stop the roses from getting black spot, so Sarah Raven says!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Gill. I’ll do my best to have a good week, but as for relaxation, I’ve been busy today oiling 12 planks of wood to be used on a new garden table & benches! One coat complete, many more still to follow!

      Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Rosie. My Astrantias are seeding themselves around the garden so much that I’ll have to bring them under control fairly soon.
      I hope your seedlings grow well and you have many lovely plants to enjoy next year!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Angela. I just cut back any tall stems in late autumn to prevent wind damage, and then nothing else needs to be done with it until the end of February or early March when it gets pruned, just the same way as the other roses.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. There is never an ideal time to leave your garden Catherine and you certainly couldn’t have expected such weather in your absence. For once the north was hotter and drier than the south. We had three weeks without a drop of rain! Glad that you had a lovely time and have fun now indulging in some horticultural retail therapy to fill the gaps 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re quite right Anna – it’s a chance you take at any time of the year. The rain’s been doing its thing once more, and it’s nice to see the grass turn green again and the plants straightening up. It’s the roses’ turn to suffer now as the heavy downpours are weighing down the heavier bushes. I think a few strong stakes are going to be needed! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 😊

      Like

    1. I love to see snow covering the garden – but not for that length of time. 🥶 It’s probably the perfect time to take a vacation in Australia though. 😁

      Like

  11. I’m glad to hear you had a good time seeing your family, but commiserations on the gardening front. I went away for less than two weeks and I’m still trying to catch up (and I missed the Peonies completely). I was looking at getting some deeper pink roses and James L Austin was on the list of possibilities. Good to see yours looking so good.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Catharine. Trying to catch up is really hard work, isn’t it! There are so many great, deep pink roses available. I hope you manage to get one to suit you!

      Like

Comments are closed.