How are your gardens coping with the dry weather?

Well yes, I'm on a meter and it wasn't until that was fitted that it really mattered,because up to that point I payed water rate and it was the same for every one in the same houses.
@NigelJ I did complain and was told I'd need to pay for an extra meter to be fitted going to an outside tap.
To be honest I've never gone into the cost involved and how much the savings would be.

 

@pete
As near as I can remember it was about £150 and yes it took a few years to pay off, but it's been worth with the recent dry spells. The problem I had was finding a plumber who knew what i was talking about and was willing to do the job. I still had to but the meter and case myself.

 

Watered everything yesterday, it was scortching outside. But things are improving today - cool and raining (properly). I couldn't believe it would ever happen.

 

It's looking as if we should get some rain here in London this morning too. Fingers crossed! Everything has got so dry - the grass in the parks is like hay. As well as the hot sun we have had some very drying winds, you could almost see the level of my garden pond going down during those! My water butt ran dry last weekend (good excuse to clean it out, at least). I keep a watering can beside the kitchen door for veg-washing water, etc., and am quite mean about using my metered supply for watering. Pots and new plants get watered as they need it, which means virtually every day right now, and then I get out the hose and give the borders a good soaking say once a week.

On the plus side my roses in particular are flowering magnificently, even if the blooms go over rather fast. The salvias look really happy, as does oriental poppy Princess Victoria Louise - it was funny to watch two or even three bumblebees at a time visiting each of her big flowers yesterday, swishing in and out of the fringes of stamens as if those were curtains.

 

My sweet peas have started flowering half way up the trellis,,,,,would this be because of lack of water ?

 

That's a beautiful plant, and a beautiful sunshine too!
Today it is all cloudy and it dropped under 20C, I miss the heat already :D

 

Mine are flowering as well and have been watered very regularly, so perhaps it is just the high temperature?
But I am no expert, I am sure somebody will be able to answer.

 

That's true.
However, it would be interesting to see how the lockdown affected water demand over the last months. Walking around the neighbourhood, it would seem everybody is keeping their grass and plants well watered, including many gardens which are usually neglected.
Accordingly to my local gardening center, they have lost a lot of pubs and venues business, but they also received many more calls from people wanting their garden landscaped and/or fixed. Tipically, after splurging hundreds pounds on that, people will keep it all watered heavily.
It might be that water demand for gardening has been quite high.

 

We were told to be careful with water in Kent today.
It's a supply problem rather than a shortage.
But that's the end now anyway so it's back to watching the telly and heating on.
Can't believe they are actually forecasting sleet on high ground in Scotland in the next few days.

 

It is a bit disappointing, watering misgivings aside the plants seemed pretty happy with the weather.
But then the temperatures are supposed to raise over 20C again in a week or so, perhaps it will stay warm for a while.

 

.The autumn sown ones from may/june and the spring sown ones from August.

 

Yes, I agree @Aldo , but it is the highs and lows of the typical British summer that stop a lot of things in their tracks, never really, what I would call, been successful with melons.
They grow well in the warmer spells then stop because we get a few cold nights, then start again, and that's how it continues all through the summer.
Sustained warmth is not something we really get.

 

@pete Very true.. I guess it tricked me to have started gardening in some rare summer weather. 30 degrees or more all summer long pretty much.
In reality it was not even that good for some plants, my tomatoes did a bit better in the following years I think.
But those that liked it, kept growing no end. Slugs were kept at bay by the dry weather too.
My peppers and melons are slowly growing, but I know that I am probably kidding myself.
So, well, I guess part of me is always expecting good weather to last just a bit longer.. We can dream, I guess :D