YOUR GARDEN 2022

GardenerSuze

It has been a challenging gardening year for some gardener's. Others have welcomed less rain and more sun.
 Are you planning to change how you garden next year as a result? May be some new plants that you have never tried before. Perhaps plants that are more mildew resistant or are generally tougher and can cope with less water. Will you continue to plant in spring or is autumn now a better time for shrubs and some perennials.

Perhaps you plan on making no changes at all for 2023. I would welcome your thoughts.

GardenerSuze

Should have posted the above under plants apologies hope to get some replies.

nutcutlet

I think Autumn (or when the rain comes) will be my planting time, giving things a chance to settle in before the next dry season. I'm not going too 'hot and dry' in planting, although I know the trend is up I'm quite prepared for a bad winter at some point. Anything that has actually died in the drought will not be replaced

JennyJ

I don't have any particular changes planned. Most of my planting is already about as drought-tolerant as it can be while also being capable of surviving winter cold and  transient wet. Fortunately it's so well drained that we don't get flooding. I don't think anything has actually died but will give it until next year to properly take stock.

Every now and then I toy with the idea of replacing the front grass/lawn (circular with a block-paver edging) with gravel and planting through it. OH isn't keen, but then he doesn't do any work in the garden anyway. If next year's another dry one I might bite the bullet and do it before I get any older/more decrepit.

Nollie

The heatwave in some parts of the UK (equivalent to my normal summer) was ramped up considerably here, so perennials that usually do well really suffered. I shall be taking out the heleniums, achillea and several others that couldn’t cope in my sunny, hot border, maybe moving some in a less exposed spot. Even the echinacea suffered, but not so much. The roses suffered a little at the height of the heat, but overall did much better than the ‘drought-tolerant’ perennials. I will be replacing the ejected perennials with tough drought tolerant and winter-hardy shrubs that should hopefully cope with whatever climate change brings next. The garden centres should have their autumn stock of such shrubs in by now, but the shelves are looking pretty bare. I suspect the cost of living crisis means reduced lines.

I usually buy mail order 9cm potted perennials around February, grow them on in the poly and plant out in early May. This year I made up for lost (covid) time and spent a small fortune on new perennials to fill gaps. Unfortunately the combination of a severe late frost in April, followed by the scorching summer meant I lost the majority of them. If I plant perennials again I will do so in autumn but will need to seriously protect them from my cold winters

AnniD

I have reduced the size of my South facing border quite a bit. I just felt so disheartened at the state of it by the time the drought was over that l decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

My OH has put in new edging and sown grass seed which is filling in nicely.

To be honest l've quite enjoyed the project, digging pretty much everything out, deciding what to keep, dividing plants etc. Some has already been replanted and some potted up and given to a local charity shop. The rest is either going into a coldframe, or against the house wall for the duration of the Winter. 

Bee witched

Hello @GardenerSuze,

I'm in the "welcomed less rain and more sun" group.

It was so nice to be able to mow the lawns when I wanted to rather than dodging the rain. The grass stayed green and lush throughout the summer.

We had a cold and quite dry spring, so things were a bit slow to get going. We did lose a bit of strawberry blossom (but still had loads of fruit), and the apple blossom was spared unlike last year.

So, a good year here, and no major changes planned.


Bee x

Crazybeelady

My garden suffered but nothing died. I think I may be more careful about where I put my dahlias next year but otherwise I don't think I'm going to make changes. I'm going to hope this year was a freak one of a kind. Even though I know it almost definitely won't be 😔

Obelixx

 I shall be taking advantage of, I hope, wetter autulmn and winter conditions to get loads of plants from my "nursery" planted out so they can grow on their roots and get establisehd before the first spring drought.

I'll be buying more seep hoses for the veggie plot as the brassicas really suffered this year and we do love our PSB which cannot be bought here in the shops or markets.

There will be more planting of drought tolerant plants in dry beds and more mulching and wood chipping on others and some more wild flower sowing and planting for th ebirds and bees.   

I'll also be providing more shallow water dishes for birds, insects and amphibians around the plot as froglets have moved in to the two I had already and the birds love the bathing and drinking space.

B3

I won't put any bedding plants in the garden beds. Maybe a few on the patio. I will fill the space with the type of plant that has survived this year. I've noticed that primrose and aquilegia and feverfew leaves are popping up. They seem to have been unaffected by the heat and drought.  I will continue  to let the grass areas become weedy. The leaves are flat and green for the most part and I like daisies , violets and bugles(?) 

Fire

I didn't lose plants either. In the sandy bed the sedum Autumn Joy didn't terribly. I'm not sure if they were just not very enough established after two years. The snails like them too much, in that spot. I will be putting in four cream bushy salvias and may lose the sedum.

Two Rosa Munstead Wood are not doing well ln the ground so I will try them in a large pot. New mini pond will be surrounded by Rozanne, for the bees. My Rozanne has been a total trouper in the heat.

Lots more roses are going in, but they will be hard to get established next summer if there is a HPB again. Four tree dahlias are going in too, which will be thirsty next year.

Fingers crossed for sodden winter and spring.