Garden log, 7.25.15

Today’s temperature was only in the high 80s, so I felt brave enough to venture outside and tend long-deferred tasks. Weeded grassy area off the deck; I’m impressed with the resilience of Eco-Grass, a fine fescue blend I’m trying out. I sowed it in cool weather, early spring, and did the requisite watering to get it established but since then haven’t watered or fed, or even mowed. It’s long, at about 5″, but what’s growing in the shade is still very green. I’ll have to be careful establishing it in the main pathway between house and shed.

Made notes of shrubs to buy for fall. Started weeding rain garden; weeded & mulched maybe 20%. Weeded and mulched 1/3 of ophiopogon path, watered with nettle tea. Made more comfrey tea. Both plants have made a rebound after a brutally hot and dry June.

Moved a Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) to where the side gate will be (oh, yes; we’re getting a fence for the yard to contain Henry). Watered and mulched it, the existing jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides variegata), and the ‘Yuletide’ camellia. Moved 2 loads mulch to the very damp corner behind T’s room; perhaps later this week I will till it in to improve drainage. Ferns looking superb in the rain garden and hanging in there in the new rain barrel bed. The fungus that grew on the blueberries earlier this year seems to have stayed away. Found a big fruit on Arisaema.

arisaema seed head

Immature seed head on Arisaema triphyllum.

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Garden log, 7.2.13

Guess what? More rain today. According to Weather.com, we’ve had 10 inches of rain in the past 7 days.

moldy rubber duck

Even the rubber duck in our pond has had enough. And our mosquitoes have grown to the size of sparrows.

The rain garden (can I bless its heart?) is taking everything Mother Nature throws at it. I can’t believe things haven’t rotted away, but it’s lush and healthy.

rain garden, July 2013, looking lush after 10 inches of rain this week.

Today my Rudbeckia and Crocosmia bloomed for the first time. And lots of fat buds mean more blooms to come.

Rudbeckia hirta

Crocosmia

Hope it’s good gardening weather where you are.

 

Post-Andrea: Rain garden resilience

Garden update: Bring your own snorkel.

Tropical Storm Andrea blew through last Friday, dumping just over 5 inches of rain on us. The typical June rainfall for our area is 3.4 inches. It rained yesterday and again today; I don’t know how much.

High water in the rain garden during Tropical Storm Andrea

I took these photos of the rain garden during a break in between downpours.

Rain garden processing its 5 inches of  rainfall on Friday.

andrea 3

If we get any more rain, my plants will be forced to learn to swim.