Last spring was extremely dry and warm, as was the one before that. And the winter of 2023/2024 didn’t bring much rain either, so we still had critical groundwater levels and corresponding water restrictions this March.
But relief was on the way. Since mid-April, we have had very unsettled weather with – for the region – enormous amounts of rain 105mm within four weeks. The situation has relaxed significantly because of that, and as a gardener, I can look forward to this summer with more ease.
The flipside is the changeable and unusually cool spring weather. After a few very warm days in flipflops and shorts days at the beginning of April, the cold Tramontane north wind howled around the house for days. After a day of no wind at all, it all turns upside down and the wind howls from the south and east, bringing the so-called “Episode Cevenol” with clouds and lots of humidity or precipitation.
And the nights will be noticeably cool again this week, with temperatures dropping to 8°C – a bit of a downer for cucumbers, melons and the like, which are all planted out.
The “Open Gardens Weekend”, which I am organizing this weekend for the Facebook group “The Hérault Gardener”, could also turn out quite wet… But let’s just wait and see, the forecasts are quite changeable at the moment and there’s no point in worrying days in advance.
And in any case most of the plants don’t care and the garden looks wonderful even when it rains.
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