As I write this, we've had a month's worth of rain in two days after an already soggy early July. I should be sitting in a deckchair contemplating which flavour of ice cream to have but instead I'm wondering whether to brave the downpour and bring a very sad looking pelargonium inside to dry off.
It's not all bad news though as yesterday I did venture out between the showers and managed to get a couple of good photos. That's the great thing about gardening, there's always a positive to be found if you look hard enough - It's lovely weather for ducks, as my grandma would say.
If you have no ducks, or for that matter no ice cream left, you might want to think about a few little jobs to do in the garden after the rain stops, just to give your plants and flowers a helping hand.
1. Roots
Check larger plants, shrubs and veggies and where the rain has eroded the soil and exposed the roots cover them over again to prevent them from drying out when the sun eventually makes an appearance.
2. Pots
These often have our sun loving flowers in them which can easily get flooded, especially if they sit directly on the ground. If possible, raise them up a little, even if only on one side, with a few stones or sticks, just so that the water can drain freely and they don't risk rotting.
3. Gastropods
You may want to think about humanely protecting some of your more vulnerable plants from the slugs and snails (that's a whole other article I need to share). I find that garlic spray works particularly well for my hostas but coffee grounds scattered on the soil below can be a good choice too.
4. Weeds
They'll be growing vigorously after the warmth and rain so while the ground's soft it's a great time to pull up as many as you can before they go to seed.
And finally....
5. TLC
Remove any snapped stems or broken branches and deadhead any flowering plants that have discoloured or had their petals knocked off by the rain. This will give them the best chance of recovery when the sun comes out again.
Oh, and if you're wondering, the pelargonium didn't quite make it inside and all the ice cream's gone. Lovely weather for ducks.....
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