soaking wet

The rain on Tuesday and Thursday should seep in deep enough to satisfy the garden.  I'm trying to be diligent with mulching but there are patches in the garden where the old mulch has rotted down and some washed away, exposing bare earth.  First thing I will do is to soak some pea straw mulch before covering those bare patches.  I find soaking the mulch before application helps as the mulch will be damp right through and not inclined to blow away.  I'll feed the roses and water them and hope to have more flowers in the next couple of weeks.  The hot weather of two weeks ago burnt the flowers on the rose arch.  It's an unpleasant sight.  The arch is north west facing and got the brunt of the heat.  It looks gorgeous when the two varieties are in full bloom, with a pinkish white on one side and sunset hues on the other.  I'm not good with names and consult my rose book when necessary.  I have yet to identify the different roses in the garden, some of which are pictured here.  I have to photograph the Mermaid, a pale yellow climber I brought from my old garden.  It is doing well, even though in a tight spot squashed between a chilli bush and a yellow daisy.  I was in a hurry to put it in last spring when I moved in and that was the best spot.