Rain damage

I thought I would share a bit of the damage the rain has done to my garden so far this summer in hopes it might make you feel better about yours.

This is the worst basket ever!  I do one every year and by now it is pretty impressive.  This year the plants are just struggling to just stay alive never mind growing.  They haven't developed that much in a month of being planted.

This is the same north facing side of the house and all this border has been killed by simply being swamped with rain.  Like an idiot I have just replanted it.  Talk about optimist!

As for sweet peas!  If Monty Blooming Don reminds me one more time to remember to keep picking sweet peas so they keep flowering I swear we will be one television less.  I planted these in the greenhouse in March and moved them on in May (?) and outside in June.  They have barely changed since then.  Admittedly they are a small tumbling variety, but if these ever manage tumble I will be astounded.

This makes me so sad.  This is the little Noisette rose on the patio which I just love.  It is usually smothered in roses all summer and smells delicious.  Thanks to the rain the flowers are all rotting in bud.  I did cut them all off yesterday so it looks clean and tidy and there is a promise of a second flush but it won't be anything like as spectacular as it usually is.

Finally on the up side....

..... the lavender has done really well and looks and smells terrific.  Maybe the house protects it from a lot of the rain (?) and it is South facing and surrounded by brick and concrete slabs so does get whatever heat there is.

Nevertheless it does seem odd.  If there's one thing lavender doesn't like it is boggy ground.

I'm not sure if this photo shows clearly what I wanted it to show - maybe I'll do it again in another couple of months and see where its up to.  Meanwhile what I wanted you to see was the tomato plant outside the greenhouse (in the small pot) v. the plants inside the greenhouse.  The inside ones are four times bigger (so far!).  They are all the same tomato, planted at the same time.  I just decided to try one outside to see how it went.  Think I have my answer.  You need cover for decent tomatoes up here or at least a warm, sheltered, sunny spot - which I really don't have.  We seem to be high up in relation of the rest of the houses and catch every wind there is.  It is very nice on a really hot day.  Raucous laughter is heard.

There are some more general photos added to the web album  if you want to check them out.

Here comes the usual appeal....

I started this blog 30 June 2010.  I know that a couple of hundred (plus) people visit it each month.  Please use it to share thoughts, tips, moans.  Even more so if you live and garden in Bury it would be great if you would share anything Bury related - like where the bargains are, plants and places to avoid etc.  That was why I did it.

On that note, just to remind you that the garden trail is this weekend (see the previous post).  I'll be there if the weather is half way decent.