Well, it was a long time coming but when it did, oh my did the heavens open. A continual deluge of rain fell for ten straight days and nights, however, it was much-needed and gratefully received.
The first few days the rain simply bounced back off the rock-solid ground, being unable to penetrate it, by the third-day things became a little soggier underfoot and come the tenth, most gardens had turned into quagmires. It was so wet and muddy, I gave up any thought of gardening work.
Now, a bit of rain doesn’t bother me, in fact, I quite enjoy it, but trying to work in conditions akin to wading through molasses isn’t productive for anyone, least of all lawns and plants in the ground, as you’ll simply churn it up… Glastonbury anyone? When the rain did eventually subside, it was another 3 days before I attempted any work.
Just a few days before the forty-degree heatwave and drought hit (followed by a hosepipe ban), I’d laid a new lawn, so, when it did eventually rain, the whole thing looked an absolute mess, far from the ideal growing conditions needed for a new lawn. But then, who could have predicted the pendulum-like weather, certainly not the long-range forecast people? Still, grass is a tough resilient thing and along with a little TLC, it eventually came up nice again.
Here’s a little something worth knowing for future droughts…
New lawns (and newly planted trees and shrubs) have an exemption and can be watered for the first 28 days after being laid during a hosepipe ban.
