Not really Peter nature is able to adapt to the changing weather patterns.

You're both lucky! We've lost about 10% of all the woody plants & bamboos in the garden - mostly evergreens, but also Liquidambar, Rhus & a few others. Very sad. :-(

On the other hand some of the native flowering trees - Hawthorn & Elder spring to mind - are producing exceptionally good crops of flowers here, but I'm sure that's more down to last years wet summer growing period.

Perhaps you are part of the area which might get a hosepipe ban, if no rain soon? Yet it was flooded and bridges swept away, not all that long ago. All very strange really. In Essex we are very dry. Apparently no threat of shortages here......yet. We have a big reservoir at Hanningfield which is not too low, yet a place with lakes, in the NW is short of water!!!!!

Thanks for the responses and condolences to Ilex. Looks like 'it all depends'! I imagine you could see the difference the weather makes if you had enough information about enough gardens but just looking at your own garden tells you about that alone.

Our reservoirs feed the whole north west and no doubt they are as thirsty as the rest of us, given there have been only a few spots of rain for weeks. I'm not complaining though. Good summers are few and far between up here.