22/09/2026
Where do we begin?
What a year, how have you all held up? For us - despite increasing our water harvesting and storing capacity after 2025s drought, we still ran empty in early July and had been sparing in that time frame also.
Mrs Wild had 2 choices to make - source water, pour more input for little output and push her auto immune back into thyrotoxicosis like she did in last summers drought and heat OR choose her health and a summer with her Wild Bloomers who are growing up way too quickly. I am sure you can guess which she chose.
Let's revisit the input for output statement, for clarity. Rubble Corner seems to have some kind of dome over it, you know, if you ever watched The Simpsons, what we mean. Rain around it but not on it. Boundary trees and hedges but no real shade.
Knowing our land, soil and how our space and plants behave, even watering (expense and time expense) would not yield the quality we strive to provide. Coupled with drying and warm scorching winds, the plants were just under too much stress above ground including scorch, for any beneficial below the surface limping along.
Has it been incredibly heartbreaking to see months, and in some cases years (shrubs and perennials) of hard graft and financial outlay be completely consumed by what the weather has done? Absobloodylutely. Do we fear next summer, to our absolute core. But we are not giving up yet. Has our mojo and mental health taken a knock, yes, but we either fight or step back.
We have been working away behind the scenes. We haven't given up yet. We aren't ready to step back yet. What have we been doing?
🌸 Drying what we can
🌸 Further increasing capacity to store water
🌸 Monitoring and identifying what has coped and what hasn't
🌸 Researching into our soil health, agroforestry and how we can further improve our plants chances of survival
🌸 Propogating perennials
🌸 Seed sowing perennials, grasses, our hardy annuals and pricking out and potting on
🌸 Bed clearing and mulching
🌸 Seed harvesting
🌸 Direct sowing (read - taking seed heads off and chaos sprinkling like a garden pixie with anger issues)
We'd like to also acknowledge gratitude to those who have still thought about us, messaged in solidarity, understanding and empathy, who still message to enquire about your bouquets and events with a little "I know its been a hard growing year but are you able to do..." despite our lack of online engagement. This shows that British seasonality is being better understood, that our climate is being more recognised and importantly - you still chose us before enquiring else where. Thank you. Truly. Its never easy to turn away orders, it hurts each time. But it does not detract from our gratitude.
