Wet July Weather

I've not ventured out into the garden much over the past couple of days hence no recent garden images. The weather is very wet and dull, more like April than July - let's hope that with the dawning of August tomorrow things improve.

Anyway this led me to think about what the garden was like this time last year and I've found a couple of photos from last July when the garden was just one year old.

I'm a big fan of hostas and this one was a real beauty last year and even bigger and better this year after transplanting into a larger pot this Spring. As everyone agrees the worst thing about hostas are the slug and snail pests. I admit that I resort to slug pellets, but my first and most effective form of attack is a midnight slug and snail hunt. Armed with a torch, gardening gloves and a bucket of water myself and the Handyman set off on our search. The drowned slugs are laid out on the grass as an early morning feast for the local bird population. So happy hostas and happy birds - happy me!

The Kitchen Garden last July was beginning to be productive, though the raspberries were very small having just been planted. The early stages of the fruit cage can be seen, though we still haven't gotten around to putting the netting on yet - so much to do, so little time!

The sweetpeas were a joy this time last year. The scent of sweetpeas filled the house and their pretty colours and tissue paper petals are a joy for the eye.

The lack of sunshine this July hasn't yet produced such good results, still perhaps in August...