Today has been the hottest day this year – 36C! The only reason it is not totally unbearable is the wind. In the last hour, the wind has picked up and grey clouds are rolling. I’m hoping we will see rain from those clouds, but I am not counting on it.
So far, this growing season has been a tough one. June brought us very little rain, less than half an inch for the entire month, and July has not been any better so far. Most lawns have gone brown and are dormant as the grass rides out the near drought conditions. The few lawns that aren’t, are being watered by homeowners that feel green grass is more important than conserving water I guess. Vanity it seems, extends to the outdoors even when our very existence is threatened. Parts of our own lawn are still green, but not because we water it. Much of our yard is in shade, so that helps the lawn. The other reason is our refusal to kill off the weeds in the grass. It is the clover and the creeping Charlie that are keeping our lawn looking somewhat greener than our neighbours’ that insist on weed free lawns.
The gardens are suffering greatly during this dry spell. (I call it a dry spell because it is not officially a drought, though you’d never know it.) I am afraid I am rather unkind to my gardens these days and they look it. The only time plants are watered lately is when they are on the brink of total dehydration and death. Fertilizing is out of the question while it is so dry. That would kill the plants faster than lack of water.
Our container gardens of course are on the brink everyday, so they do get the water they need to survive. They are all blooming away like crazy. If they could talk, I’m sure they’d be taunting the garden plants. “Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha! We got water and you didn’t! Mum loves us best!” Then I’d have to burst their little bubbles and tell them the truth – they’re not tough enough to survive on their own, but the most of the garden plants are.
We have a few young trees on the property that we are watering. They are special trees, like my Chamecyperus Nootka, two white pines started from seed, a purple ninebark that we transplanted to a different spot in the garden this spring, a Hinoki cyperus and a weeping larch all get a drink now and then. The rest of the trees, large and small, are on their own.
Trevor’s pumpkin patch is being watered. That’s the law in this household.
Someone asked me how I could allow all the gardens to suffer? What about all the work, the time and the money I have put into them? My answer? Plants can be replaced. Water is much harder to replace. And, if I have to fuss over a plant too much, then I don’t want it in my garden. Plants have to be tough to live here because I do not have the time, the resources or the energy to coddle too many delicate plants.
In conclusion, I’d like you to check out a story our son-in-law told us about. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/2gqf8n Once you’ve read it, if you have any comments, I’d like to hear them. Send them to me at bertsbloomers@hotmail.com. For the record, the clouds are gone, so no rain today.
So far, this growing season has been a tough one. June brought us very little rain, less than half an inch for the entire month, and July has not been any better so far. Most lawns have gone brown and are dormant as the grass rides out the near drought conditions. The few lawns that aren’t, are being watered by homeowners that feel green grass is more important than conserving water I guess. Vanity it seems, extends to the outdoors even when our very existence is threatened. Parts of our own lawn are still green, but not because we water it. Much of our yard is in shade, so that helps the lawn. The other reason is our refusal to kill off the weeds in the grass. It is the clover and the creeping Charlie that are keeping our lawn looking somewhat greener than our neighbours’ that insist on weed free lawns.
The gardens are suffering greatly during this dry spell. (I call it a dry spell because it is not officially a drought, though you’d never know it.) I am afraid I am rather unkind to my gardens these days and they look it. The only time plants are watered lately is when they are on the brink of total dehydration and death. Fertilizing is out of the question while it is so dry. That would kill the plants faster than lack of water.
Our container gardens of course are on the brink everyday, so they do get the water they need to survive. They are all blooming away like crazy. If they could talk, I’m sure they’d be taunting the garden plants. “Ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha! We got water and you didn’t! Mum loves us best!” Then I’d have to burst their little bubbles and tell them the truth – they’re not tough enough to survive on their own, but the most of the garden plants are.
We have a few young trees on the property that we are watering. They are special trees, like my Chamecyperus Nootka, two white pines started from seed, a purple ninebark that we transplanted to a different spot in the garden this spring, a Hinoki cyperus and a weeping larch all get a drink now and then. The rest of the trees, large and small, are on their own.
Trevor’s pumpkin patch is being watered. That’s the law in this household.
Someone asked me how I could allow all the gardens to suffer? What about all the work, the time and the money I have put into them? My answer? Plants can be replaced. Water is much harder to replace. And, if I have to fuss over a plant too much, then I don’t want it in my garden. Plants have to be tough to live here because I do not have the time, the resources or the energy to coddle too many delicate plants.
In conclusion, I’d like you to check out a story our son-in-law told us about. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/2gqf8n Once you’ve read it, if you have any comments, I’d like to hear them. Send them to me at bertsbloomers@hotmail.com. For the record, the clouds are gone, so no rain today.
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