Wet weather is so common in August and plays havoc with the garden and veg plot.

It brings out the slugs who make a slimy trail straight to the bedding and the lettuces. It is stunning . For all the best ideas on how to  beat the slugs

Apart from the slugs the late flowering plants are battered and soggy. Take heart, summer isn't over. Dead head off everything looking sad and the next spell of warmer drier weather will see the plants picking up. In the wet some rose blooms may have  "balled", the flower looks full as if ready to bloom but the outside leaves are brown. Its caused by wet cool conditions which saturate the outer leaves, then a drier period which causes the leaves to dry out and turn brown and tighten around the bloom so it cannot flower. Because it will not flower the remedy is to dead head and make room for some more.

There's just about enough time to cut back untidy and tired looking plants and perinnals, and its often a better option than having brown fading foilage. This works for some of the fast growing plants such as hardy geraniums, Nepeta (Cat Mint) Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle). The plant may already have started some new growth which can be seen spurting from centre of the plant. They may, or may not, floweragain depending on the weather but the plant will put on new foliage which will look fresh.

This photograph shows Alchemilla mollis which was cut back almost to the ground around second week of  July and this photo was taken at the end of July. The new growth has replaced the tired browning foilage, a little of which can be seen just in the top right of the photograph.

A flash of incandescent blue and grabbing the binoculars confirmed a rare moment of garden magic; a Kingfisher. It flitted past the pond, paused for a moment on a nearby branch and then was gone. What a marvellous sight.

All gardening advise about growing tomaotes will say to cut side shoots from Tomato plants - but why and what are side shoots? Why does this matter when  growing tomatoes?

Why, it is necessary because Tomatoes are very vigorous plants and you need to contain the plant to the main frame work. If every side shoot was allowed to grow the plant would be massive, all leaf and few flowers with a resulting poor crop of tomatoes.  When growing tomatoes not only should you cut off all side shoots, but also thin and reduce the amount of foliage particularly as the fruits form.

 What are side shoots?  See below the scissors point to the side shoot.

For more about growing Tomatoes