Parched

Poor pond – the water butt's empty, so we're saving any 'spare' water from the kettle and adding the chlorine zapper. It's evaporating as fast as water is going in. I'm so surprised that there's not a hosepipe ban around here. So saying that, I've not noticed many hoses out. I think folk are being canny with their gardens. I'm watering only the seedlings and the plants that are newly in the ground with the small watering can. I'm hoping the rest will pull through. Some plants, such as the echium pininana, seem to love this heat. I've just read that they're drought intolerant – maybe those kind of plants and the ones I should be cultivating. The echium in the garden are four plants I pulled up between pavement slabs on an adjacent streets. I'm delighted that they're doing so well. However, the one in the front garden is quite huge – my upstairs neighbours must be perplexed as to what the triffid is near the gate. Oops.