My Blog List

Saturday, June 16, 2018

THERE'S A DRAGON IN THE GARDEN

There's a dragon in the garden and he's breathing his fiery breath over my plants.


The dragon was a chance find at an estate sale and as things are at the moment I thought he deserved a place over here.

Can it just be a 6 weeks ago that I was lamenting that 3" downpour on the day of the Fling visit to my garden. Since then we have been completely dry. While other gardeners were recently blessed with another 3" downpour, the storm passed to the north and left nothing here. My stock tanks are empty. This summer is wearing thin-wait a minute it isn't even summer yet. High nineties have been the order of the day for weeks now with a few 100s thrown in. The second flush of flowers, Monarda, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, day lilies have all had a pitifully short season this year. I'm sure I am partly to blame because the soil is poor and drip irrigation has minimal impact when it is so dry.

Who needs flowers anyway? Rocks look pretty good.


and there are plenty of the tough green plants.


The Liatris doesn't seem to need any additional water. In some places it is growing out of the rocks. It is growing everywhere in the front courtyard, having seeded freely, and will bloom with incredible purple spires in the fall........or will that be sooner this year.


Everything has gone quiet in the front courtyard. But that's OK. Less work for me.



Thank goodness for some very tough plants out in the front. These are the plants that manage without additional water although they may not look their absolute best.





And I have moved a few plants into the only shade I have in the side entry courtyard. Even cactus and succulents need a break and I shall be ready for one myself soon.





I have added a battery powered drip irrigation system in here for the summer to water a few plants that need a daily water when I can't be there to do it.


Including the asparagus fern by the garage door. Even the fish have moved into the shade.


There is rain in the forecast for this next week but then we know how that goes.

6 comments:

  1. Well everything that you've shared here looks amazing, and it's so wonderful to see this photos and know how they relate to each other and the garden as a whole. Here's hoping you get a break soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'd have picked up the dragon too! I know the no-rain blues and I hope that current rain forecast comes through for you. There's even some drizzle in tomorrow's forecast for us but I'm not taking any bets on it. At least we've enjoyed a lot of "June Gloom" so far this month. Your comment about the Liatris intrigued me as I haven't grown that in years (and never in my current location) - if it handles the heat so well for you, it's worth a try here as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your garden still looks pretty good considering the lack of rain! Those are some tough plants! Here's hoping you get some rain soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's feast or famine for rain this year. Yesterday I watched at least four showers go either east or west of us. Hoping for at least an inch of rain tomorrow from the Gulf disturbance. You are so smart to have a beautiful low water garden.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such wonderful photos -- thanks for sharing your garden with us during the Fling! It's lovely to see (even if it's been dry), how glorious it still looks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We're wishing fro rain too. Summer came so fast and hard this year. Still everything in your garden looks really good, even with the dry, hot weather.

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments unless they are spam comments which will always be removed in comment moderation.