At the end of what is predicted to be the hottest, and possibly driest, summer on record for the south – east, it is time to take stock at the Nature Reserve.

Surprisingly, most of the perennials, planted over the last year or so, have fared reasonably well. The north facing, shady site helped to preserve the moisture in the hummus- rich soil so only minimal watering was required. When necessary, rainwater collected over the winter was occasionally used to support the young plants in the front metre.

Several varieties of perennials, however, not only survived but thrived in the hot, dry conditions. The sedums  (succulents with fleshy, water- filled leaves) have grown strongly and are just about to flower. They are very popular with bees and other pollinators as a rich source of late season nectar when other plants have finished flowering. Similarly, the Mediterranean herbs – rosemary, sage and oregano, have also enjoyed the conditions. So looking to the future, we will need to build on the successes of this summer and focus on plants that are able to withstand the challenging conditions.

September heralds the beginning of the bulb planting season so at the next work party on Wednesday 17th September, we will be adding a few more daffodils to the site. Please bring some along if you have any to spare. I’m planting some Tête à Tête bulbs this year; a smaller variety that will stand upright on the slope and produces smaller leaves.

The larger varieties definitely provide a wonderful splash of colour in March but their large, strappy leaves carpet the soil as they die – back and suppress the growth of other wild plants. Coupled with the lack of rainfall, this resulted in significant areas being sparsely covered with vegetation for much of the summer. It would be a great pity to remove our beautiful large daffodils, and also practically impossible, so underplanting with tough, native ground cover needs to be considered to prevent patches of bare soil appearing.