Will first thing I have to say is "Didn't you just have like around 100 or so Hosta just last week on the Hosta forum???" LOL

I have to admit I sure wouldn't want to pay your water bill. You have some incredibly busy months ahead of you. I know you keep looking forward to that 2 year care period being over but wonder if you've thought ahead to what you will do besides the hammock? LOL
Cher

So do you hold a fire drill and just use a firetruck to hose the whole property down? Ã

tj

I would kill for your climate. Have you ever been in Gainesville, FL in summer? The humidity is unbelievable. It rains pretty consistently in summer here, but because our soils are nothing but deep sand, I still have to irrigate alot. Another advantage you have is less diseases due to lower humidity in summer. That is a constant battle and limitation here.

Long-term I think the weather in the PNW is highly beneficial to conifers and maples; the most obvious exhibit 'A' is the numerous record-sized conifers up and down the West coast, but short term it can be pretty hard on gardeners.

Last summer we had a stretch in mid-Summer where it was 100+ degrees for a week straight, on top of already abnormally dry/warm conditions. I did end up losing a half dozen conifers, mostly Abies balsamea, abies koreana types.

I plan on just watering like a mad-man. Yesterday I watered for the majority of the day.

Thats funny Will,I was stationed at Ft.Lewis in 1965 for a 6 months and it rained all the time.The Rhododendron capital of the world now needs rain.Must be climate change.Good luck with the hose this year.LOL. Joe

No it does Joe, take a look: From October through April we rarely see Sunny days and it rains about 9 out of 10 days...

Have any of you guys gotten in to rainwater catchment?

Some of the new "bolt on" systems that replace your downspout and serve as catchment tanks seem like a great idea. They're not very pleasing to the eye, but they offer an easier solution than the underground tanks/pumps. (When I build again, I hope to go that route.)

When I was a wee lad of 17 (I'm 54 now), I spent a summer on Vancouver Island, Shawnigan Lake, to be exact. Even though I was not quite the plant and weather geek I am now, even then I was surprised to see day after day of morning fog followed by brilliant sunshine. Our last day at the camp, it rained a bit, and a local told me that it would do that now pretty much everyday until next spring. So yeah, wet climate, but not during summer.

+oM

I think that watering in very dry conditions (no rain for several weeks)But to water after only a mild dry spell i think could be bad in the long run.I am of the belief that drying strenthens plants like conifers by makeing roots go deeper looking for water.I am sure that in forrests there are a lot of dry spells and plants survive and become stronger due to more deeper roots.This Is my opinion,I could be wrong,LOL.also this is only for established plants. Joe

1150 conifers, 360 JM's and 240 hostas

Knowing your place only by photos you have posted I fail to see where this is all going and my concerns for your well being. Please post some descriptive photos and show us how all these plantings come together and make a pleasing presentation.

Unreal that you have the time for your work and the garden. I see nothing out of place from your past photos and just wondering how you do it. It's got ot be stressful.

1150 conifers, 360 JM's and 240 hostas... get me a quart of the finest and a 1000 Atiavns and fly me to the moon. Dax can pay the Master Card bill.

Will your a hell of a man.

Dave

Dave lol... they are here, there and all over the place. I have about 3/4's of an acre, my lot is about 130x250. I have between 120-200 conifers in pots, 100-150 JM's in pots and now over 150 hostas either on the way or in pots. My pot 'system' has three purposes. One is for seedlings, grafts and baby plants that I don't feel comfortable plopping into the soil just yet. This comprises I'd say about 75% of the pots. The other two reasons I have plants in pots is: future plantings(believe it or not I have sizable areas that have nothing but existing scrub) and extra plants I currently don't have a spot for, but I am hoping I can plop them into areas where plants are hurting or dead.

Almost all of my conifers are dwarves or miniatures, so they should be OK in their current spot for years. Some big ones will certainly have to be moved(to the local botanical garden) or culled as they grow gangly or too big.

Most of my maples are clustered together in areas I want to prune and allow them to grow relatively close to eachother, as in nature. It will be an ongoing process.

Certainly in 20 years I am going to have some massively overgrown areas but I think as long as I stay active, it will be a fun project and not a nightmare. In 20 years I expect I'll have 400-500 conifers, 50-100 JM's and the hostas.

I'm healthy so far, physically and mentally. I'm single and generally have at least a couple days a week where I can devote huge chunks of time to gardening. In winter, it helps me feel sane - getting outside and working the soil. SAD - seasonal affect disorder is a major contributor to depression in folks here in the PNW - with dark days AND often a lot of rain.

At least you'll be able to monitor the chaos from a safe distance? :)

-Will

Will,

Low vitamin D level may be the culprit to SAD problems. Check out Vitamin D Council website. I started taking vitamin D supplement last fall, 5,000 IU (compared to pathetically low "recommended" daily amount of 400 IU a day) and I never got sick with anything esp sinus infection that I always get every winter. Vitamin D plays a huge role for your health, by far much bigger role than previously thought as more and more studies roll in. Apparently, it also does a major job of preventing cancers from forming or getting out of control. Under ideal condition during the summer 10 AM- 2PM with torso exposed for 20-30 minutes without getting burned, our skin can produce anywhere from 10,000-20,000 IU just like that so you can see that 400 IU a day is almost nothing. Anyway, check that website out.