Dry times at the Woodland Garden

After a wet winter I write this piece of news that we are half way through August 2026 and already have hose pipe bans across the region. The trees are very stressed as the 5th heat wave of the summer arrives with its 30C temperatures and dry winds. The beech and ash seem to be particularly suffering but at the same time the grey squirrels are barking some of the young trees. They seem to be targeting acers (eg sycamore) and even the oaks and the hornbeam by the path. The squirrel issue seems to be a phenomenon that only happens on occasional years and 2026 is one of them.