I suspect I won’t be alone in talking about the drought this week! But it is too easy to moan, I like to get on with things and believe it will get better, like it always does! This Silphium perfoliatum is a good case in point. It is a little shorter than last year and the flowers are slightly smaller, but it is coping like it is designed to do in the prairies of North America.

This short and stocky little Helianthus ‘Happy Days’ is another one enjoying the heat alongside the Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum. It is protected from the fierce heat of the afternoon sun by the shrubs and trees which tower over it and seems quite happy, despite the lack of water.

However, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ needs her daily drink to survive and I have been determined to keep her happy to enjoy her beautiful big bounty of flowers, the size of footballs. The colours fade quickly in this heat and relentless sunshine and I should probably have planted her in a shadier spot, but I wanted to see her from the kitchen window and for others to enjoy her too.

My potted pineapple lily, Eucomis bicolor, is struggling too but seems determined to put on a show. Her fleshy leaves wilt in the heat but the flower stems stand erect and unconcerned, pulling in the bees all day long.

This gaudy Phlox paniculata is on its last legs, gasping for breath but soldiering on in the mixed border. I chuck a bit of water around the roots if I am passing with the watering can, but there’s a small part of me that obviously doesn’t care if she lives or dies!

Finally, the wonders of nature. I have been monitoring this tiny spider for days as she spins her web over the Euonymus. Truly, a work of art!

Have a great weekend and remember, the rain will come!

David