2026 is proving to be a challenging year...
It started with an epic delivery of 50 bags of compost and manure which I thought would last for the year but it didn't, and I have just had another 15 delivered! I am always amazed at how quick it goes but I have a load of pots and am trying to get better at re-potting things every few years.
I am struggling a bit with peat free compost at the mo. I have always tried to be peat free but at the mo it seems quite variable. This year my seedlings and young plants seemed to really struggle. This could be the weather but who knows. After a year it then seems to just turn to dust! The only thing that stops me being peat free is my Sarracenia/carnivorous plants, but this year I took the jump and tried being peat free. I followed guidance on the Carnivorous plant society website and re-potted them in a few different mixes of well washed coir chunks, perlite, sand and sphagnum moss. Sadly it didn't work and I have now lost a few plants, the ones that are left are very stunted.
We are now on our third heatwave which has made watering challenging. It feels like it has brought on a few things...the banannas grew quickly and my Paulownias are massive! The terrace is also looking great.
With watering I don't ever want to be in a position where I need to keep things in good stead that I need to water all the plants in the garden. Things need to be more sustainable and in general perennials need to be able to live without much additional help. Grass does not need to be watered! The exception are of course all the pots and the few areas of the garden where I put bedding in. Just watering these guys means a couple of hours of watering with the hose. Opening for NGS also adds in additional pressure and I do water more than if I wasn't opening...
The recent hosepipe ban has made things a lot more challenging as everything now needs to be watered by hand which will take up a lot of time. Most of the garden will not get the water it needs, and unless we have a very wet second half of August it may be a very crispy garden opening. However, with lifting all these cans of water I look forward to having arms like Popeye by the end of the summer.
A big success has been installing my new Thai Spirit House that I bought in auction a couple of years ago and restored over winter. This now has pride of place on the terrace and is really making things feel super South East Asian.
Come to our NGS opening! this year it is on the 6th September 2026. Full details here
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