Sunday, August 7, 2016

needing rain here...

...but not as desperately as people depending on the weather for their livelihood. There have been quite a few thunderstorms blowing through, with drenching rains that might last for twenty minutes. The kind of think you hear about on the news, when storm systems stall in an area, and produce life-threatening, home destroying flash flooding. I do not think we have had anything quite that dramatic here, but the quantity of water falling for short periods would, in my opinion, qualify as being a 'frog strangler'.

I have been sporadically dragging the hose around, due to foolish behavior: planting things that will only survive the heat if copiously watered. And periodically starting the soaker hose to leave running for several hours to give perennials, though established, enough to get through the blistering heat of August. I think, hope. believe those things that were in pots and recently put in the ground will be ok, if I can keep them wet until the weather changes. I put the native azaleas in holes in the back yard, a cuople of weeks ago, after a good rain, when the clay was diggable. And a couple of thee flowering almonds that I bought back in the spring, and failed to plant when the weather more conducive.

Last week, after much swearing over rock hard clay and difficulty with digging, planted some  'Stella' day lilies that are supposed to bloom all summer. Trying to focus on things that will make the pollinators: butterflies, bees and especially humming birds happy when they are looking for lunch. I've offered some butterfly bush that has 'volunteered', come up near the mother plant to a couple of people who will get it in the fall. Only the foolish (like me) would be transplanting in the drought and heatness of August., instead of November, which is a much better time to dig/transplant. If you want one - now is the time to put in your request.

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