View from the Rear Window - July 2024

 July - named after the Roman General Julius Caesar, it was the first month to be named after a real person instead of a Roman or Greek God.

This garden photo was taken on the 5th July. Everything is lush and green. The roses are blooming and I can see the purple Salvia flowers at the end of the garden path.

Photo 1: Back Garden on 5th July 2024

The daily garden photos of the back garden are collated in Video 1

Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden - July 2024

It was someone's birthday in July so the gazebo was up for the frequent parties and does rather spoil the view. There are a few gaps in record due to away days and days away; e.g. Virginia WaterArthur's Stone, the Royal Welsh Show, Symonds Yat.

Photo 2: Mary at Arthur's Stone (July 2024)

Photo 3: Symonds Yat (July 2024)

July was a disappointing month weather-wise. Cool, cloudy with a fair bit of rain. Weather stats for our Hereford back garden are summarised in the table below:

July 2024

Weather Parameter

Value

Dates

Average Monthly Temperature 

17 oC


Maximum Monthly Temperature

32 oC

31st

Minimum Monthly Temperature

9 oC

7th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 28th

Number of Air Frost Days

0


Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)

9


Monthly Precipitation

36.6 mm


Greatest 24 h Precipitation

12.0 mm

8th - 9th

Number of Dry Days

16


Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)

191



Highest Wind Speed

34 km/h

3rd & 6th

Heating Degree Days

73.4


Cooling Degree Days

45.6



Daily maximum and minimum temperatures for July 2024 are shown in Figure 1. Temperatures were below average for the first two weeks but picked up a little for the remainder of the month.

Figure 1: Min/Max Daily Temperatures for July 2024

Daily rainfall and sunshine hours (measured as solar radiation) for July 2024 are shown in Figure 2. Most of the rain fell in the cooler first two weeks of the month. Temperatures picked up for the last two weeks of July (see Figure 1), but it was cloudy rather than sunny.

Figure 2: Rainfall & Sunshine for July 2024

I have been monitoring the weather parameters in my rear garden with the Davis Weather Station for over five years now. This is too short for studying changes in the climate but it is still interesting to look for trends in the data. July is typically the warmest month of the year in the UK but, in three of the last five years, it has disappointed. We are experiencing higher temperature maxima (above 30 ℃ except for 2023) as a rule (see Figure 3) ...
Figure 3: Temperature Data for July 2020 - 2024

... but this is not accompanied by clear skies and bright sunshine (Figure 4). Rainfall is somewhat variable so those cloudy skies do not always lead to precipitation.

Figure 4: Rain, Wind & Sunshine Trends for July (2020 - 2024)

The following three figures are taken from the UK Met Office's Monthly Report for July 2024. Herefordshire is identified on each map with the city of Hereford in the centre of the county. Temperatures for the whole of the UK were below average especially in Scotland and along the West side of the country (where Hereford is located). This pattern was very similar to that seen in the previous month, June.

Figure 5: UK Mean Temperature Anomalies for July 2024

Rainfall in Herefordshire was close to the long-term average (Figure 6). Those parts of the country that had above average rainfall (along the South & East coasts, East Anglia and the South-East of England) also had the best of the warmth (Figure 5). Hereford and Herefordshire were very average!

Figure 6: UK Rainfall (relative) for July 2024

Sunshine was in short supply in July 2024. The Midlands and Southern Britain fared best but it was nothing to write home about. Herefordshire had mixed results and Hereford itself was close to that boundary between normal and sub-normal sunshine hours.

Figure 7: UK Sunshine Hours (relative) for July 2024

Jobs in the Garden
  • Harvesting cucumbers (x13), courgettes (11 kg), French Beans (1.5 kg), onions (2 kg), calabrese (1.5 kg), beetroot, spinach, chard, tomatoes, celery, raspberries (2.5 kg), blackcurrants (3+ kg), gooseberries (3.4 kg)
Photo 4: Produce from the Kitchen Garden
  • General maintenance such as tying in the French beans, tomatoes, cucumber, chilli peppers, aubergines, sweet peppers, etc. Topping up the Quadgrow units with nutrients/water.
  • Composting, there is always composting!
Flora & Fauna (seen in the garden)
  • 2 x Blackbirds (male & female)
  • Blue Tit
Photo 5: Blue Tit on Peanut Feeder
  • 2x Collared Doves
Photo 6: Collared Doves on the patio
  • Crow
  • Dunnock
  • Goldfinch
  • 24x House Sparrows
  • 15x Starlings
  • 12x Swifts
  • 2x Wood Pigeons
Photo 7: Wood Pigeon on Nest in Wisteria
Photo 8: Common Frog in the Paradise Garden

  • White crab spider (Misumena vatia)
Photo 9: Crab Spider on Buddleia

And, finally, some photos of the garden ...

Photo 10: Veronika (13th July)

Photo 11: Mallow (13th July)
 
Photo 12: Dahlias & Mountain Ash/Rowan (13th July)

Photo 13: Secret Garden (13th July)

Photo 14: Roses in the Secret Garden (13th July)

Photo 15: Scabious, Secret Garden (13th July)

Photo 16: Calabrese in the Kitchen Garden (13th July)

Photo 17: Floriferous Patio (13th July)

Photo 18: Tiered Planting (13th July)

Photo 19: Front Garden (28th July)

Photo 20: Primuls vialii, Paradise Garden (28th July)

Photo 21: Echinops (28th July)

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