Kitchen Garden Forum

Another warm one today...but talk of possible sea fret tomorrow.

Visitors attended in healthier numbers today.

..and Alfred Lord Tennyson was sighted strolling on the main lawn reciting his poetry..

A less than favourite Shrub Rose bed for hoeing and weeding...received a hoe and weed....Enchanters Nightshade...............

...and I got the Strawberries strawed at home here this evening..

Clive.

Fine here until this evening - I think the fret has come a long way inland as we lost the other side of the valley, still 11 degrees though.
Seems daft after the season we have had so far but there looks to be a good chance of me planting out Runner Beans earlier than I ever had (usually June). They are growing so fast in the rootrainers in the greenhouse, must find space in a cold frame tomorrow.

Yesterday was the first day of the year when it has reach 70F. Today it has reach 80F!

First darters and damsel flies on the pond. Very glad to see Garden bumblebees on the Broad Beans as I have been seriously worried about the lack of bumbles. What a difference the warmth makes. If plants were human you would say they were positively glowing.

The amount of wasps that have suddenly appeared over the last couple of days is phenomenal - just keep repeating to myself that they are friends not pests

Car read 27C in the shade of an office block, east side, at 17:20
Saw two swifts up high through the sunroof at a traffic light queue in Tottenham.

29 degrees here today in the shade in spite of the quite strong (warm!) easterly wind.

I suggest you read through this "Sweat, slosh, shiver" section right from page 1 and you will be amazed at the change over the last 10 days!! British weather certainly cannot be called dull and boring.

Grrrrrumpy!
Three hour journey home this evening, was just under an hour yesterday, amazing the knock on from the M25 being shut on a Friday.

Been quiet on here today - must be the heat and the flies. Just need a touch of frost to restore a bit of normality.

Been far too busy, Geoff! Loads done in home garden this afternoon/evening, it should all look lovely soon. Then it will get cold and wet again I expect

Lots doen this week on the plot and even the gardening hat and sunscreen made an appearance.

Sweat, slosh, shiver Well, we're certainly back to sweat.

I put it down entirely to moving the spring bank holiday from this weekend to next (something on over in London?). Is the bank holiday weather saving itself 'til next weekend?

I think you're right Alan - had a peek on Metcheck and the little yellow orb is still around but the temp is definately way down on this weekend. (Of course the weather lately is a moving goal post and goodness knows what it will really be like).

I expect this time next week there will be moaning about moving the bank holiday if it is cooler.

Westi

Coronations and jubilees have a dreadful reputation when it comes to the weather they bring. The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 occurred in one of the coldest and wettest Junes of the twentieth century, and celebrations culminated on June 6 - the jubilee bank holiday - on a day of strong winds and sudden downpours. The pageantry and colour of the Queen's coronation in 1953 enlivened an otherwise chill, drab, damp June day, and George VI was crowned on a similarly grey and cold day in May 1937. Much earlier, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was marred by dramatic hailstorms, thunder and lightning, during midsummer week in 1897.

From http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/ ... istory.htm

I well remember 1977 and 1953, though not the other two

We hosted the launch of the Wolds walking festival at work today.

This brought out masses of visitors...with today's sunshine and clear blue sky.

How different, fortunately, from last weekend when I was interviewed for local radio stood on the back lawn....jumper, bodywarmer, waxed jacket, woolly hat...

One thing that really made my day today was a visitor came up to me and gifted me an old family photo of 2 Gunby gardeners stood in front of the conservatory greenhouse...we suspect it was taken in 1930s/40s.

What is especially good to see is that the East side garden hedge is trimmed to a lower height...in fact just the height I have been dreaming of trimming it back to.....to let more light in to the Orchard, show off the Orchard trees better....
...and make it easier to trim the hedge for todays gardeners.

Clive.

After being named on the BBC forecast as the hottest part of the UK yesterday, today it's foggy and cool. Temperatures set to fall this week.