So into August we go with the challenges this ongoing heatwave brings.

The extreme and lasting high temperatures have created testing growing conditions for the nursery plants largely due to the peat-free growing medium used in our pots that can be too free draining. We have been a peat-free nursery for 7 years now and this is the first serious test in terms of irrigation and how it copes.

Fortunately we only grow hardy perennials so while the ornamental tops of plants on show may not look as lush as usual this time of year I know the root systems in their pots are tough and strong.

Our planted garden areas are coping quite well, especially the shady sites, as the roots will be pushing down and out to reach any moisture they can to survive this difficult time.

Some plants that are coping admirably in our gardens and showing a riot of colour as I write are Helenium, Rudbeckia, Verbena ‘Vanity’, Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ and Achillea.

The hardy herbaceous perennials in the borders here are subtly shifting from a soft palette of pinks, purples and whites to a more dramatic colour injection that later summer flowering perennials can offer – such as Helenium, Rudbeckia and Heliopsis.

Giving sufficient time to considering planting combinations really does pay off and the resulting melt of colours, textures and movement together with successional flowering is a visual joy to behold.

I adore incorporating Vebena bonariensis into planting designs for adding height and feasting areas for pollinators but I do prefer Verbena bonariensis ‘Vanity’ due to its slightly shorter stature, and it still offers all of the positives that V. bonariensis does but tends not to get blown over in strong winds experienced on higher ground and coastal areas.

Cutting flower stems for my own jugs and vases indoors has been a more regular job this year to keep encouraging plants to bloom on as stress due to lack of water can cause an early end to their normal season.

The Acer griseum I used in one of our RHS Chelsea Flower Show displays a few years ago has settled in very well to its permanent spot and is flourishing. Its cinnamon-coloured bark is a real joy to watch as it unfurls and quite literally glows in the evening sun. Planted in the middle of the lower lawn where our stream flows around has ensured a regular and plentiful supply of moisture for this beautiful addition. The lawn here has remained green!

It’s a good idea to focus on watering plants in pots, to conserve water usage in these times, as plants in the ground will be better equipped to survive having much larger areas in which to spread their legs and feet to seek out moisture. Like most gardeners we used up our water butt supplies many weeks ago!

So desperate are we for significant rainfall to water our nursery plants, our gardens, our grass and fill up our water butts I have taken to watching rain dance tutorials online! They feature the serious to the ridiculous and make for amusing viewing!

Who knows, if this drought continues I may well just have to get into our walled garden area and create a Devonian-Yorkshire rain dance of my own. Look out Ford!