After the drought

9 years ago

We're eighteen days into September and, after three rains this month and no high temperatures in that period, I believe I can safely say that our fifteen month drought has ended. We still need two or three feet of rain to replenish the aquifers (and good luck getting it), but the ground has been sufficiently watered that we no longer need to wield our hoses, and the plant world has greened up amazingly. I plan on reporting back on how various plants took the drought, but in the short term can say that, in general, my roses that were established and doing well before the drought began for the most part got through it unwatered very well. I may have to add all kinds of qualifiers to that initial statement as I tour the garden, much of which I haven't seen since summer weather began back in May, but so far that's what I see. I think my strategy of not watering plants after the first year (there is the occasional exception), keeping plants mulched, and being lucky enough to garden in clay, have given me a drought tolerant garden. It's exactly because I foresaw the possibility of drought, and limited water available for irrigation, that I planned on gardening the way I do. By the way, down in town I don't see a lot of dead plants, either, and this in spite of a total watering ban that's been in place since June 15th, and homeowners who don't believe in dry gardening like I do. A tribute to the toughness of plants?

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Comments (5)

daisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres
9 years ago
I am glad you are recovering from your summer in Hades. It makes such a difference to have real rain and cooler temperatures. The autumn rains have yet to reach Crete. I haven't seen wet stuff from the sky, since May, and not much then.

Temperatures here are still around 30 celsius. I am spending sometime every day down in the water swimming. Did you know that the Mediterranean Sea is crystal clear, azure blue and feels like cool silk on your skin?

I do.

Daisy
cathz6
9 years ago
"Cool silk on your skin"...that does sound good!

Cath
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User
9 years ago
I bet living near the sea is an enormous advantage during these Meditteranean summers. Like Melissa, I'm quite inland, and very, very grateful that it is now rainy and cool out.
kittymoonbeam
9 years ago
I'm so happy for you and your garden
Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you, ma'am. We're back to dryish weather, though beautiful--September is such a glorious month here--and I think more rain is on the way. Well....it's fading off further into the future, but there. I have a project of having my helper dig holes for trees down on a rocky ledge below the house, between the house garden and the shade garden. I passed through it a hundred times this summer, suffering the sun every time, and it occurred to me it would be a great spot for shade and fruit trees. The ground has to be broken up with a pick. Our neighbor obligingly brought up a bale of old hay from the big garden to use for amendment, and as I do cleanup around and about I bring the trimmings down there to start the slow task of improving the ground using them as mulch. In spite of the drought one of the bay laurels put on 4' of growth, and there's ivy and Virginia creeper taking over an empty house, so I pulled them off and added them to the pile. All this is so slow. But the yard, which was packed clay, gravel, and weeds when we arrived, with years of mulching with trimmings has turned into a jungle.

Slow and steady wins the day.