Doesn’t anyone else have a slight feeling of dread?

[DiddlyWiddly]

I’m in the south east, the weather recently has been odd, in my opinion anyway.

We had a few days of alternating snow and sunshine, literally sunshine pouring down followed by snow then back to sunshine.

Now we are nearing the end of April and maybe it’s just me, but it seems unusually hot and dry?
My garden was very thoroughly drenched with the hose just a few days ago and although the more shaded parts are absolutely fine, the soil in the more exposed, sunny portion is already baked dust dry.
Desert dry.
Some of the plants are wilting and in need of water again and we are only in April.
We haven’t even reached proper summer yet.

I’m feeling a little nervous for the future, if it’s like that here in April, what is it going to be like in the peak of summer?
What is it like in traditionally hotter countries?
How will the farmers cope?
How will we find sufficient water?
Ornamental flowers are one thing but fruit and vegetables need water to grow, quite a lot of water for certain edibles.

And another thing I noticed yesterday, admittedly a lot of my ‘fail safes’ like Buddleja and open roses and snapdragons are not flowering yet but I haven’t seen many bees around, even on sunny days and when I have, I have witnessed them landing then leaving plants I have bought that allegedly they like!
The bees I have seen have only really been on my dandelions, my bird cherry and I saw one bee on a hyacinth.
I have seen barely any butterflies, just one peacock butterfly.
Hardly any insects anywhere.

Not just in my garden but in the surrounding area.

Is anyone else feeling a bit antsy?

I'm in Kent and the year before last started growing Cana lillies and although they are showing they're bone dry and I'm hacked off with in out in out in out! I repotted some today and I'm already uming and ahing whether to bring them in. It's not forecast frost but it seems my judgment of these things has gone! I think maybe because I can't get over how warm during the day it is in contrast with the shade/evening coldness.

I have seen more wasps than bees, a few butterflies.

@picklemewalnuts I’ll have a go, I’m still very much learning so experimenting is good for me! It’s my second year, I had some wins last year, but I also made some big mistakes, this year I’m determined not to make the same mistakes, so I’m making some whole new ones instead! Thanks for the tips, I’ll go and look online.

I can't believe people still water their gardens with mains water... how about using rainwater or even collected bath water? This all just contributes to water shortages.

In my part of Kent today there were green hairstreaks, a dingy skipper and many brimstone, but there are a little late. Only spotted a couple of large bees but they didn't look very lively.
Lots of things are very late this year snd unfortunately, my clay is starting to crack open in places already ☹️
I haven't out anything out yet - we had frosts till 2 days ago and the wind is evil for the past week.

I have 4000 litres of stored rainwater ready to help keep the clay sticky though.
South east Water eventually caught up with me a year or so ago and in went the dreaded water meter so no more mains water on the garden.

gub I use whatever ends in in the washing up bowl or for rinsing pots.

@Gubanc

I can't believe people still water their gardens with mains water... how about using rainwater or even collected bath water? This all just contributes to water shortages.

Most people these days probably have showers rather than baths and not everyone has somewhere to put a water butt.

I use as much waste water as I can but between only using a shower and having a dishwasher there isn't that much of it easily accessible.

I live somewhere quite wet though and we never have any water shortages and it's not often we have to water more than once a week.

It's a lot colder than last year even though April was dry - I'm in the West Midland and it is rare to get frosts so late - I'm on a small hill so not in a frost pocket. Many things are slower due to the sharp frosts and low humidity - lost a load of tomato seedlings since I forgot to bring them in. Using mains on the garden since I need to ration rainwater for the venus flytraps - both of them got a bad cold nip from the dry air. The plants are a lot happier in their new growhouse.

It’s still cold in the evenings here. No rain and it’s dry and dusty like August.

Watering like mad. Nothing is growing fast.

I’ve seen lots of bees. Bumblebees and wasps, honey bees. Birds. Ladybirds. A snake(!) Lots of ants and woodlouse.

Rain would be good. I’m sure once it starts it won’t stop!

My recollection is that long-dry spells in springs are usually marked by wet summers particularly round June. 2007 was a year for that.

Yes!!! For some reason I've had no borage or forget me knots this year which is really strange as usually I have loads and the kids love picking them for potions. Also my foxgloves seem to have disappeared. I've even considered having a year off from gardening this year.

This is the first time I've not had anything in the veg patch apart from potatoes this late in the year.

A garden I work at has lots and lots of forget-me-not.

Oh and we found a frog today.

Mid Hampshire here.

We have cuckoo's and woodpeckers, goldfinches and bluetits in the garden.

But the garden is cracked and dry. I mowed our grass today as it gets tufty and I only got one basket of grass, normally by this time of year I get 4 or 5 the grass isn't growing.

I put in foxgloves at the beginning of March which are not growing, the Gaura is trying to grow but making hard work of it.

DH bringing the seeds in every night instead of leaving them in greenhouse and we have a paraffin heater but it's SO cold, hard frost every night for what feels like weeks. Apart from the snow at Easter we haven't had rain for weeks and weeks.

I'm curious how you save bathwater? Ours goes down a pipe into the drain, there's no way of getting to it, do you put it in pans and carry it down?

We are on a farm estate and our water comes from their boreholes but we are on a meter for it, plus in 2018 we had a hosepipe ban when mains water didnt. We have water butts but there has been no water to fill them. Plus they are attached to the greenhouse which is on the other side of the house to my flower beds.

V dry in n Wales. And not overly warm. Tulips only just coming in to bloom, but cherry trees are full on.
Found 2 frogs in the garden. Seen a few butterflies. Some giant wasps buzzing about. Spotted some bluebells on the way to work.

On a private borehole here.

No cuckoos here yet, at least 2 weeks late

But it was completely dry last April wasn't it? We had amazing lockdown weather. My photos show my hostas in full leaf and right now they have barely got started. I put this down to the cold though, rather than lack of rain.

Weather is always unpredictable.
I am just glad it's warmed up abit. I have two large borders of foxgloves, this time last year they were much further on, good job l have held back 're Zinnias and Dahlias that replace them.
I am in the Midlands and have been watering my plants as bone dry.
I am still bringing trays of seedlings in and out everyday, but it will be worth it.

Cake crumbs; it’s been dry throughout March and most of feb round here too though. It’s definitely different from last year when we had normal rain in march.

I’m feeling like it’s as well i never put anything out til may anyhow

Yep, the climate emergency is here, that's for sure. I'm in Australia and the summers are unbearably hot. Except this year, due to the la Nina, it's flooding. Like everywhere, insects are dying off with the associated repercussions. Currently there is a mouse plague. Farmers cope as best they can, unfortunately suicide rates in this profession are high.

Everyone is talking about how 2020 was the worst year they've had but looking back we will probably think fondly upon it as one of the last good years.

Last April was really dry, but things had warmed up sooner than they have this year and we had plenty of rain in the preceding months. I remember because things in the garden had gone beserk.

I know what you mean. East Mids here. We went for a walk yesterday. We go to the same place every year around this time of year to see the bluebells. Part of the route is a path through a waist-height wheat field, except this year, the wheat is barely at ankle height and looks very thirsty. I can totally see why ancient people worshipped the elemebts

Very dry here, London. I had to water plants in pots last night as they were desperate. I think it is a drastic perfect storm combination of low rainfall, night time cold, day time sun and almost continual wind, just sucking moisture from the soil.

I ’m feeling a little nervous for the future, if it’s like that here in April, what is it going to be like in the peak of summer? on the pattern of recent years, wet. June has had considerably more rain than April for 4 out of the last 5 years.

Snow in April isn’t a new thing. I have a photo of me planting a mulberry tree on 17th April in falling snow - that was in my last garden but one, so it was before 1983, in Sussex.

@Gubanc

I can't believe people still water their gardens with mains water... how about using rainwater or even collected bath water? This all just contributes to water shortages.

I think the point is we no longer have any rainwater. I will use the last of my second butt today