You don’t have to shovel rain

It’s a rainy Friday. Over an inch of rain and wind gusts to 50 mph forecast for today. But the rain hasn’t dampened my mood.

From my window, I can see the Daffodils stretching through the ground. The Snow Drops are ready to burst into bloom.

I know Crocuses nestled under the fallen leaves are pushing through the soil.
And the hellebores must be quietly expanding their blooms in my absence.

Only 23 days to spring and I don’t have to shovel rain!

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Rain Days Update

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We continue to work in the garden between rain showers and storms.

The lilacs and other early spring blooming shrubs have been trimmed. Beaten by the rain, the peonies didn’t get a chance to put on their usual show. I sadly cut all the spent blooms yesterday.

But the rain has created a lush garden – a lot of flowers are happily blooming. The snapdragons from last year are in full bloom.

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The Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronaries) fills the air with its orange blossom scent. (An interesting post on Mock Orange by Michele Owens at Garden Rant.)

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The red and white Astilbe blooms in the shade garden. The lilac and pink Astilbes are forming buds. They all love the damp conditions.

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Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria) has more blooms than usual at the corner of the garden.

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The little shrub rose (Town & Country ‘Nashville’) holds up well against the rain. The constant damp weather creates an ideal condition to spread black spot but this little rose is rarely bothered by it.

A testament to rainy days, mushrooms grow in the mulch and lawn.

The weeds continue to appear throughout the garden. But the soft, damp soil is perfect for pulling them out. I’ve been wandering through the garden every clear day pulling weeds as I go. I keep telling myself it’s good exercise.

I hope the spring rain continues through the summer.

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Watering the Garden

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This year I’m trying to get through the summer without watering my garden. I’m trying to conserve water and save money.

Of course, the potted plants need to be watered. I watered some of the annuals when they drooped. New perennials need water until they are established. But, I’m talking about hours of soaker hose watering of the entire perennial garden.

I’m talking about what will live in my climate without extra water.

Fortunately, we’ve had a year with adequate rain, until now. After a few weeks of no rain, heat, and humidity the soil has turned concreteous. Mulch, free from Bethlehem’s Compost Center, is indispensable. I am amazed at what is surviving (make that looking pretty good) without any extra water.

Some of the perennials have slowed blooming but are still very alive. The purple cone flowers look a little tired.

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Roses are struggling but blooming. The Japanese anemone, asters and mums have set buds.

The ground cover lemon thyme and creeping jenny do not seem to have a problem.

The mum ‘Clara Curtis’ doesn’t seem to mind being dry at all. In fact, ‘Clara Curtis’ continues to bloom and bloom.

As I said, this has been a year with adequate rain. And I woke up this morning to a little less than half an inch of rain in the rain gauge. I’m not saying I will never turn the soakers on but I’ve learned that I can do with a lot less watering than I thought. We’ll see how brave I am during a drought.

I’m thinking about a rain barrel. Raising vegetables is another story.

What’s your strategy for watering?

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