THE WEATHER -

It's official - this is the hottest July since records began in 1689! The hottest day on record was on the 19th July at Wisley, where the temperature was recorded at 37°C (99°F) - phew!! Not quite as hot here in Redditch, - 3 degrees cooler, but hot enough!

The heatwave from June continued into the beginning part of the month, but by the 7th, it had become cooler. However, the heat began to build again by the 9th, and the heatwave continued unabated with only one very brief shower early on the 20th, until the 22nd, when thunderstorms brought some much needed rain (although not nearly enough) and slightly cooler temperatures. Only a brief respite from the heat though, with temperatures rising again, and continuing hot until the 28th, when cooler conditions made it feel very comfortable at last. A few showers on the 29th, but still no substantial rain for us here in Redditch! The garden is looking very parched, and I'm spending hours watering all my pots on the patio and elsewhere in the garden. We need rain! Maximum temperature 34°C (96°F). Minimum temperature 9°C (48°F).

Hardy herbaceous perennials are some of my favourite plants. They represent such good value - plenty of colour in season, and they spread year on year, so your investment is always growing! When the clump gets too big, you can split it and either plant more in your garden, or do like I do and use the extra plants to raise money for whatever cause is close to your heart! A beauty in flower now is Echinops ritro. Its common name is Globe Thistle, but although it has spiny leaves, it isn't an obvious thistle, although it belongs to the same family - asteraceae/compositae. In my garden it grows to around five feet tall, and has huge heads of spherical blue flowers, which bees and butterflies adore! They also dry well, the secret being to cut the flowers just as they are forming their seed heads. If you leave it too late, the flowers disintegrate!

I'm very fond of yellow-leaved plants, as they brighten up the garden even when not in flower. This is a fairly new aquisition called Hydrangea quercifolia ''Little Honey''. It is a deciduous shrub (except in very mild winters) and apart from the lovely yellow leaves it bears large terminal pannicles of white flowers. My plant is too young yet to produce flowers, but my green-leaved Hydrangea quercifolia (Oak-leaved hydrangea) is in full flower now, and is a lovely sight!

Sometimes, you see a plant and you just have to buy it! This is what happened to me when I was at the NAFAS National Show at Telford in June. Apart from stunning flower arranging competition work, there were also lots of stands selling all sorts of things to appeal to someone like me - jewellery, clothes, flower arranging accessories, and PLANTS! When I saw this lily, called Lilium nepalense, I fell in love with its beautiful pendent lime-green buds which open out to reflexed petals of pale chartreuse green with a wonderful maroon centre. This is a true species lily (rather than a hybrid), the only downside being that it isn't very hardy, so I will need to protect it in the winter - drat!!

At the Hampton Court Flower Show, I succumbed to the very first plant stand that I came across - well, it was selling wonderful architectural and tropical plants - just the kind I like! Here's one of the plants I bought - called Aloe striatula. It has lovely yellow and orange flowers, reminiscent of a Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker), but on much shorter and thinner stems. I'm told it's hardy, but I have my doubts.........

This is a beautiful tree called Catalpa erubescens 'Purpurea'. The leaves are large and heart shaped, and the new foliage in spring is deep purple, fading to dark green. The flowers are white, marked with yellow and purple, and borne on dark stalks. I've had this tree for quite a while, but this is the first year that it has flowered, so I'm really pleased! The common name for Catalpa is Indian Bean Tree, and this is because it produces long slender pods full of seeds, like a runner bean. I'm looking forward to seeing these later on in the year, but I have my doubts as to whether I shall, as the tree is wilting badly in the heat and dryness (a week or so after the photo was taken), and the flowers look like they have shrivelled. Still, you never know.............

That's all for this month...... Happy Gardening!!

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Rook, Seagull, Starling, Swallow, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

RAINBOWS
Patience Strong

A shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds and lit the rain-washed world,
Each leaf and twig was hung with jewels and crystal drops impearled.
The Earth gave off a fragrant scent that hung upon the breeze,
And diamonds trembled on the dripping blossoms of the trees.......

And suddenly, above the roofs I saw a flaming bow -
That made an arch cross the world and set the sky aglow,
As if an artist with a brush moved with divine desire
Had stained the dome of heaven with a hoop of coloured fire.......

An then my heart remembered what this thing of beauty meant,
And why, when sun and showers blend, this lovely thing is sent
To tell His doubting children that the word of God is true,
And lest men should forget - He paints a rainbow in the blue.