As a novice but increasingly obsessed gardener, I’ve been really interested in how our #wetdrought has been shaping the green space all around us. Certainly all those additional water butts haven’t been put to good use just yet.
In addition to the contrast in rainfall between March and April there was also a big change in the sunshine anomaly from March to April but on the plus side a lower than normal number of frosts despite some cold daytime maxima.
One problem for plants when the soil is waterlogged like it is now is that oxygen uptake by the roots is reduced which can lead to root rotting. Judging by my lawn, I suspect that this has been happening quite a bit to some of the young plants in my garden and confusingly they actually look like they are wilting! Soil moisture can also be measured from space (although not at great depth) and the most recent maps of this variable show a broad area of wet conditions over all of Northern Europe. Over Iberia, in contrast, conditions are very dry and likely a continuation of the dry winter associated with the lack of storm activity in this region.
Of course, as is always the case in the garden, there is always one plant which thrives in the conditions which all the others hate. Since the RHS reliably informs us that flag irises will be perfectly happy in these damp conditions I thought I would close with a gratuitous picture of one in full bloom.
