Warm spell has tricked my garden into early bloom
My lawn, like the man who tends it, is developing a worrying bald patch. The first signs were there a few weeks ago and now it has spread right across the middle – a desolate expanse of brown nothingness.
The official advice to all of us worrying over our lawns during what, in parts of the country, is already the driest May on record, is not to water it – and I am following those instructions to the letter. Getting the sprinkler out at this stage seems akin to those adverts for caffeine shampoo – throwing good money after bad.
Plus, unlike my accursed hair follicles, it will always grow back.
According to Met Office statistics, this spring is on track to become the fourth driest since records began in 1862, ranking behind 2011, 1990 and 1893 for the least amount of rainfall.
Throughout the spring of 1893, 109mm of rain was recorded. So far, 138.8mm of rain has been recorded for the spring of 2020 up to May 26.
And it is not just a lack of greenery I am noticing at the moment but a lack of insect life, too. The unusually warm temperatures of recent weeks have meant that the spring blossoming cycle has raced by faster than usual, meaning we are now – phenologically speaking – already in midsummer.
My hawthorn, known in folklore as the May tree for its glorious blooms, has shrivelled up. The meadows in the countryside around my house – and indeed on the still green patch of lawn which I have left to grow wild – are studded with buttercups, a sight I associate more with midsummer.
My lavender plants are soon to flower and the summer solstice is still three weeks away.
At present there is little sign of rain on the horizon. The weather looks stunning for the weekend and into next week, although some eastern coastal areas may find things a little cooler. By Tuesday, northern parts of Scotland might even be experiencing some rain, the lucky devils .…