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Highfield Farm Garden (Monmouthshire, Wales)

I am lagging behind with my England tour posts, not that there is an urgency, but I know if I don't get them recorded and organized, my feeble memory will begin to muddle them. The three previous gardens ( Hidcote , Kiftsgate , and Bourton House ) were visited on the first day of the tour.   Day 2 took us across the border into Wales, where we saw two gardens.  Our group (about 25 people) rode in a comfortable bus, and everyone kept saying that it was much smaller than the buses they normally used. I thought it was fine, and most of the time, I had my aisle to myself. Unlike the Japan trip, where our mode of transportation changed daily, we kept the same bus during the entire trip. I soon learned that it was best for my mental health to sit on the right side of the bus. The country lanes of England are indeed as narrow as they appear on television, and the ever-present hedgerows grow right next to the roadside. Watching these hedgerows fly by within an inch of your window...
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Dog Days of Summer



The Dog Days of Summer are upon us, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, where we are having our first lengthy heatwave. Temperatures have been over 100 since Monday but hopefully today (Wednesday) will be the last day and maybe it will be gone for the year. Hearing how the weather is in other parts of country certainly makes me thankful that we don't have to contend with it for long.



We've been watering early - Michael usually waters the back and I do the front. It takes us about one hour so when I'm not around to help, Michael spends at least two hours watering. Yes we do an insane amount of watering but we rarely spend money on other things so it is all about priorities. 


We don't have a sprinkler system so all the pots are hand-watered and anything else that looks like it needs it. Overhead sprinklers and soaker hoses are used once per week to cover the larger areas. If we get out there by 8, we can be back inside by 10am. The heat usually arrives in late afternoon and the hottest time is around 5pm. It takes a long time for the temperatures to cool down - last night it was still 90 at 10pm - but once it does, there is a good cool down overnight. I think that helps save a lot of plants.



We have two small strips of grass and unfortunately it takes frequent watering to keep them green. A guilt-inducer for sure. I actually slacked on the strip of grass in the front garden but once it started to brown terribly, I couldn't stand it any longer and I started watering. I'm experimenting with it to see just how little watering I can get away it. I refuse to water it daily and right now, three times per week is working. 





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonAugust 16, 2023 at 6:57 PM

    Your garden looks lush even with the persistent heat, Phillip. I hope today really is the end of it for you. I'm a little gobsmacked that temperatures in the PNW have been running higher than those here, although admittedly our inland valleys haven't been as lucky as we are along the coast.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 17, 2023 at 12:55 PM

    Your garden looks insanely green and beautiful and plants look happy despite a heat wave. The careful watering you and Michael are doing obviously is working very well. --hb

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