What an extreme last six months of weather we have faced this year. If you cast your mind back, remember how cold it was over the late winter months and then in the spring we had quite a lot of rain, although that is difficult to remember now! In fact the Spring was so wet that at one point, I couldn’t work on the lawns or borders due to the ground conditions, but as people say every cloud has a silver lining. In this particular case, it gave me the opportunity along with some of the volunteers to powerwash the house terrace. The difference in the light levels on the terrace is quite marked and it is looking a bit smarter too.

Needless to say we have all been facing big challenges this summer, trying to keep things going in the garden, with record-breaking temperatures and levels of dryness. Phewww. For me that is meant watering in the mornings and evenings, moving pots about, and standing for longer and giving pots a lot of water.

The weather has definitely suited the roses and the large rhododendrons that we have here. In the three summers I have been at Reveley, this year was most definitely the best for roses.  All the hard work removing the three trees on the edge of the Rose Garden seems to have paid off with the roses suitably responding by growing bigger and healthier than ever before.

At present, we are having a lot of work carried out on the conservatory structure. As you may have noticed the timber frames have been in quite a sad condition over the last few years, but the Trust have courageously decided to rebuild all the side panels. We are quite excited about having a smart new looking conservatory and course filling it with plants, as you do! This year my assistant Lesley has melons in the conservatory along with a host of other new plants.

In the veggie garden the pumpkins and squashes are having a far more successful year than last, due in part to the amazing weather.  But other things like my Fennel has been bolting due to the heat, and I noticed some of the ‘Bushey Grove‘ apples and crab apples have started to ripen early, probably due to the heat.

But lastly, being Scottish as I am, and never one to miss a wee break of good weather, I have been painting the outside greenhouse. So when completed it should be looking a bit smarter, and just in time for our National Garden Scheme Day, Sunday 26th August. Hope to see you there.

Rory’s Blog

29 July 2018