Garden update

Well something is working, we haven’t had a garden invasion for almost a week apart from minor digging in one back door pot and the new kiwi uprooted again.  What a difference it makes waking up to find everything in its place and not spending ages cleaning and replanting.  Well done MrFF, sterling work, a few barriers and a lot of urine save the day.

The garden is burnt to a frazzle, I’m not convinced the lawn will come back from this, I’ve lost a lot of bedding plants and a few insignificant shrubs.  The ground is so dry now any water just rolls over the surface, I loosen and turn the soil around important plants in the hope that will get some moisture to their roots.  My greatest fear is if we ever get a downpour it will just wash the light dry soil away down the hillside.

There are as always some good surprises of course, little gems that are surviving unaided like this lavatera that is flowering under an apple tree.  

Or the self seeded sunflowers amongst the tomatoes, MrFF wasn’t happy when they first appeared, now they make him smile.  Sweet peas are my all time favourite flowers but they don’t thrive in the Italian heat.  Sunflowers are such happy blooms on high summer days that they have to be my flowers of choice here.

The upside of this stifling weather is that I haven’t had to weed for months because nothing is growing, even if it was necessary it would be impossible.  Dead heading is all I can manage so I’m living with the departed hebe, the dying conifer and the crispy bergenia leaves in the front garden. We all have to adapt.