Did I hear someone say heatwave?

The heatwave, which really did not materialise at all in the UK this summer, save for a couple of very hot odd days here and there, is now well and truly beyond probabilities. We might yet get a dry autumn but on the evidence of the last couple of weeks I doubt this. We have had so much rain in Cumbria that the conservatory is turning green to match the rest of the garden.

I have mentioned before that sometimes I get quite unusual books coming across my desk and last week was no exception. 'The one-straw Revolution" by the late Masanobu Fukuoka, is a small little green book which has been re-issued from the original of 1978. Translated from Japanese, it is a manifesto about farming, eating and the limits of human knowledge and presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for our food today.

Probably years ahead of its time in 1978, The One-Straw Revolution has been called the "Zen of the art of farming" but most people who know it already just refer to it as 'The little green book'. It is a spiritual menoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth reflects his deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. Certainly a must for all those guerrilla gardeners out there or the kitchen gardener who is dedicated to slow food cooking. Published by Frances Lincoln Limited its priced at £9.99.

One of the downsides of the rain is the inability to get out in the garden and do some weeding. The onset of autumn together with the excessive wet has certainly hastened the demise of a lot of perennials and it will soon be time to cut them all back. My astrantia plants have suffered considerably which is sad because you can often bet on them lasting right through October and beyond if you are lucky. The roses are still holding their own although the blackspot has made some of them look sorry specimens.

I mentioned in my last blog that Chesters Walled Garden is having to close - this beautiful garden in Northumbria, close to Hadrians Wall, will be a big loss to the area. Susie White, who runs the garden, is urging visitors to go over and see the garden in the next few weeks as the last time to see the garden in all its autumnal glory. This is really a sad situation - I can honestly say that Chesters was one of the nicest walled gardens I have ever seen. We can only hope that Susie can find somewhere else to locate her lovely and interesting plants.