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Saturday, July 11, 2015

Dealing with Drought, July 11, 2015

It seems the PNW is also experiencing drought.  Considering how dry California has been, I guess it is no surprise.  I feel I must respond to the changes in weather patterns with increasing heat and drought by seeking plants and strategies to deal with these circumstances.  But dealing with our wet/dry seasons with summers with little or no rain, I have always favored mostly drought tolerant plants anyway.

Plants that are rarely watered in summer survive on our ramp- Rosemary, Oreganos, and Marjoram, now blooming-

Thyme, various Heathers, Lavender, and a LOT of Kinnickinnick, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts', which has been growing over many of the smaller plants, here with more Oregano-

It's hard to drag hoses to the ends of my 2 acres, so I decided to plant some Manzanitas (various Arctostaphylos) there, which are adapted to the west coast wet and dry seasons, so actually require NO summer watering, in fact they don't like it or do well with it.  Another interesting thing about Manzanitas is that they have an edible berry, like some of the other well-adapted natives- Berberis nervosa (used to be Mahonia), also known as Oregon Holly Grapes, and Salal.   I researched Manzanitas and found four for sale at Xera Plants that were a little hardier.   I live at a little higher altitude and sometimes weather patterns have resulted in loss of supposedly hardy plants, like the year it didn't frost until December 20 then plunged to 6ºF in 2 days.  My 10' Eucalyptus tree, supposedly hardy to 0ºF, died because it had not had a chance to harden off.

Arctostaphylos columbiana 'Parkdale East'-


Arctostaphylos columbiana 'Wolf Creek', note the berries which I managed to knock off when planting-

Arctostaphylos columbiana sonomensis

Arctostaphylos viscida 'Sweet Adinah'-

I love the leathery, often grey-green leaves and the reddish bark that is smooth and peels.  I'm excited to see how well they can fill in.  I'm counting on shrubs to cover ground and shade out the perpetual weeds.

Today I am linking with-

Orange You Glad It's Friday, hosted by Maria

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

And joining in with Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, to see what is blooming in lots of gardens join hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Daylilies are still blooming, here is one with the double Fulva-

And some roses are still blooming, like the ground cover Red Ribbons-

Critters for today are my grand-chicks, the two silkies, you can see one as a small chick here-

The hot colors of various Asteraceae have begun in the garden, Gaillardia I started from seed-

"Red" Sunflowers (looks orange to me)-

"Red" Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherry Brandy', which doesn't look at all like the one I saw at a nursery, I hope it manages to get redder as it gets older-

Ursinia anethoides, 1" flowers,  which is supposed to be heat and drought tolerant-

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is blooming, hot blooms like fireworks.  It is a reliable bloomer and I dug part up and spread it around the yard some.  It flops so I tried to bury the corms deeper to prevent that.

A welcome surprise is finally getting some Eryngium flowers, 'Blue Glitter' I bought at Hortlandia, I just love the metallic blue and prickly flowers-


Also blooming are still clematis, coreopsis, Sweet William, Ageratum, beans, squash, red runner beans for the hummingbirds, and Laura Bush petunias in my containers, first time I'm growing them from seed, they have mixed colors.  I learned about them from Alison at Bonney Lassie.



What flowers have you tried from seed in your containers?   Last year I had a lot of Nasturtiums, they have lots of hot colors.    Hannah                
                                                                or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.   I enjoy reading your comments on my blog, and will return your visit and leave a comment if possible, though I can't if google + is the only option installed, so will comment here instead or email if a link is provided.


78 comments:

  1. Hello Hannah, I like the pretty silkies. And your flowers are gorgeous! I hope the west coast receives some much needed rain. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen, it's a chore dragging hoses daily to do the watering, sometimes it takes 4 hoses just to reach a bed in the back. Then there are beds at the edges that would take 6, so that's why I'm excited to plant the Manzanitas. Your birds this week were great!

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  2. I know that you are suffering for rain and I just wish I could send some along to you. The flowers are doing well, though. Very pretty.

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    1. Thanks, Latane, I'm pleased to get some flowers that I started from seed blooming.;-) I can remember most July's where I was trying to work in the yard in a cold drizzle. The weather is just a symptom of what is happening to the earth that needs to stop.

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  3. cute little chicks and pretty blooms. we get something like that blue glitter that grows wild here.

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    1. Thanks, Theresa, the Silkies are bantams so pretty close to full grown, the 3 and 5 year old like to hold them since they are small and mild-mannered. There are Eryngiums that are wild, I wish I had one, I'm also trying to grow Rattlesnake Master, it is prickly and tall but lacks the blue color.

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  4. My neighbour of yeaars back also kept Silkies adnmy children loved going in to see them as did I. Love all your flowers shots. Very pretty. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Margaret, they are amazing little chickens. I'm enjoying the new flowers.

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  5. The flowers are really beautiful, especially the red one

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    1. Thanks, Rainfield, the Crocosmia is so colorful and elegant, I just wish it wouldn't flop.

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  6. I'm glad you liked the Laura Bush Petunias, I haven't grown them for a couple of years, but they're great flowers. I've heard that Cherry Brandy started from seed darkens as it ages.

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    1. Thanks, Alison, I hope I get some of the lovely pink ones like you had. I'm trying to grow my own container plants from seed, last year it was Nancy J. Ondra's red ones. I hope Cherry Brandy improves with age. Some got nipped by deer.:-(

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  7. Love the colors in your summer garden. Crocosmia is a great bloomer for me, too, but its top-heavy growth habit is annoying. I try to use supports for the worst of them, but often I run out of patience and just let them flop. They are pretty anyway.

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    1. Thanks, Dorothy, I noticed clumps that weren't flopping, and I read that planting them deeper could help that, so I'm trying to do that.

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  8. I like your silky chickens!

    Wonderful flowers in your garden, too.
    ~

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    1. Thanks, Thunder, they are the grandkids' Silkies, they treat them like dolls. The Silkies seem not to mind, very mild and tame. I'm happy to see the flowers after all the work to get them grown and planted.

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  9. Your comprehensive knowledge of plants is awe inspiring Hannah. You take some lovely close up pictures of your plants too.

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    1. Thanks, Phil, plants are my thing like birds are yours. I enjoy your birding activities.

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  10. Beautiful flowers and adorable silkies! I also enjoyed reading about the Manzadia(sp?) Anyway, I love learning about edible plants of all kinds.

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    1. Thanks, Marie, my specialty is edible and useful plants. But I got into growing flowers as well since I realized the importance of providing habitat and food for pollinators and insect predators.

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  11. Marie your two Silkies you call them. Are so pretty. Wow you sure have a lot of plants.
    Blue flowers are pretty.

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    1. Thanks, Carolann, I'm not sure why their faces look wet. They enjoy being together, living with 7 larger chickens. I love the metallic color and complexity of the Eryngiums.

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  12. Thanks for the plant suggestions. We'll probably pick some of those plants up. We sure don't do much watering so our yard is looking a little crispy.

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    1. Thanks, Sharon, my yard is crispy too, it's especially hard to keep the new little plants happy. I appreciate the plants that can make it when it is hot and dry. Your stenciling looks so cool, I've done some in the past, and also other forms of painting.

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  13. Hannah, we have a huge lawn area, about 3/4 acre at the front, and 1/2 acre round other areas, and have a lawn sprinkler tractor, you run out the hose, put the tiny front wheels over the hose, and it propels itself back. Ours has 2 speeds, and is so sturdy, and as long as your garden areas are flat, this might help. We place the hose in gentle curves, and it waters the lawn and flowers. Down here, in winter, my golden Day Lily has flowered all year, alstromerias are frost wilted, weeds slowed right down. Lovely silkies, I had bantams when I was a child on a farm, coloured, they were so tame, I put them in my doll's pram and walked them round!!!

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    1. Jean, part of our yard is toward the wooded side and the lawn there doesn't dry out much, so we use it for the poultry in summer. We don't really water the lawn at all but the hose in front leaks so keeps that part of the lawn watered. The Silkies seem not to mind the kids playing with them, very tame.

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  14. Almost every Texas lawn has a watering system that includes a "drip line" to get water to the roots of the flowers and bushes. We can only water once a week, even though the drought is technically over. But we can water with a watering can or hand held hose for plants during the week. We have a big 500 gal tank installed at our new home to catch rainwater for the plants.

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    1. Thanks, Linda, I use soaker hoses mostly. I'm on a well and we just started having a drought, so there are no watering restrictions yet. Usually the PNW gets enough rain but only during the wet season.

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  15. I love those silkies...they're precious.
    And the blue 'prickly' flower blossoms....I would love to have some here in my yard.

    Yep, xeriscaping has been a part of my lifestyle when we lived in the Sonoran Desert around Tucson, AZ. Still, the colors and bright blossoms [even the cactus] can dazzle the eye and create a paint shop in the driest of months.

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    1. Thanks, Anni, I've seen some very colorful and floriferous desert landscapes, so I know it can be done. I love Ocotillo.

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  16. Nice presentation of a variety of plants...That drought is a challenge♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/spikey-sentinel/

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    1. Thanks, Laurie, there are lots of drought tolerant plants that do well here.

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  17. Hannah, if I can have your email, will send a photo of the lawn sprinkler tractor. looked but couldn't find the address anywhere. Otherwise I will put a pic of it on my blog, along with my usual attire here, and how smarter I will have to be when we are in Wellington. A cruel shock to a gal who likes " CASUAL" !!!

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    1. Jean, my email address is up on the top of my blog, z8hannah8z@gmail.com.
      We don't water our lawn at all, here in a dry season situation the grass is a type that browns out in the summer and greens up with the fall rains. We are starting some new lawn areas with grass seed that we have to water though.
      I have beds that are scattered around the yard, 2 acres with lots of trees, and they mostly have soaker hoses, especially the vegetable beds, but I have to hook the hoses up to the soaker hoses. The lawn sprinkle tractor wouldn't really work here, but thanks for thinking of me. I dress very casually at home too.

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  18. Thanks, Jennifer, it's fun for me if I start plants from seed and they actually grow and bloom. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

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  19. Hi! I enjoyed your flowers in your garden. I hope many plants will grow, even though there will few rain.

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    1. Thanks, Minoru, summers here are always nearly without rain, but the flowers get watered or are adapted to no rain so are there anyway. It is work keeping my vegetables watered, though.

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  20. I love your flowers and the silkies are beautiful! I hope you'll get some rain soon. We seem to be getting more than our share.

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    1. Thanks, Gunilla, your little chicks were cute.

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  21. Thank you for the nice comment and compliment on my last Post... Now I'm here to read and admire the beautiful blooms in your captures.

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    1. Thanks, Erica, it's fun to see your cobblestone streets, I wish I could go visit Germany again.

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  22. Passei para admirar suas flores.
    Maravilhosas, mas gostei mais dos girassóis vermelhos que são super lindos!!!
    Bom domingo!
    Beijinhos.ه° ·.
    ·.。╰✿づ

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    1. Obrigado, Magia, eu estou feliz que você gostou dos girassóis. Abraços do PNW!

      Thanks, Magia, I'm glad you liked my sunflowers. Hugs from the PNW!

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  23. Loving all your pictures, the sunflowers are beautiful :)

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    1. Thanks, Clairejustine, they say "Summer!" to me.

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  24. Beautiful garden shots. I do like your grand-chicks! They're beautiful.

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  25. Thanks, Pat, I try to enjoy the flowers among the weeds. I mostly enjoy the vegetables growing if the voles don't nip off all my pole beans. The Silkies turned out better than I anticipated.

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  26. It seems that you have that drought stuff figured out! Your garden is just gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks, Betty, I've had to work at it with the dry summers here.

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  27. Beautiful flowers, especially the red one!

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  28. Thanks, Lea, the Crocosmia is pretty while it is blooming.

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    1. Thanks, Pieni, hot colors match the season!

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  30. Nice flowers - we need to think hard about the sorts of plants we have in our garden these days - in Australia there is a shift away from plants that need a lot of summer water to natives that are adapted to our accrual climate!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Thanks, Stewart, as a biologist and gardener I feel distressed about what people have done to the world moving plants to the wrong places and causing ecological disasters. I think Australia and New Zealand must have a lot of that is addition to the wrong animals being imported. I don't know how you put things back the way they are supposed to be. Growing natives is an important part of that, though.

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    1. Thanks, Nicola, and now we had some rain last night!

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  32. Wonderful flowers! The grand-chicks are gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, Mary, the are the fluffiest chickens ever!

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  33. I enjoyed all the flowers and the chicks in your post.
    Thank you for visiting my site today.
    Have a Great Day!!
    Peace :)

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    1. Thanks, Chandra, it seems like the flowers change almost daily, so I have to enjoy them while I can.

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  34. I love the Silkies, beautiful. And I love the flowers.

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    1. Thanks, Bob, I finally have some birds on, though they are not wild, just a little exotic. Your laughing or yawning duck was fabulous.

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  35. Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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  36. Thanks, Lea! Enjoy your begonias.

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  37. Dearest Hannah; Oh, I cannot imagine how you have to cope with your drought! I admire your effort, love to your plants☆☆☆ We are in rainy season and so important for rice crop, rice paddles are all green now. What GORGEOUS and COLORFUL flowers you have;I cannot pick my favorite :-) I LOVE all the colorful ones but the 'Blue Glitter' looks really unusual for me and also romantic♪  Oh, I've never seen silkies p:-) And the chick ( from April post) is really cute♡♡♡
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. Thanks, dearest Miyako. It's pretty much just our typical dry season starting early. It's great you have enough rain. I love the blue Eryngium flowers, they are so spiky and architectural, in addition to the metallic color. Hugs, Hannah

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  38. I think it's wise to landscape with drought-tolerant plants. With the world population growing like it is, there will be less water for us to use on lawns and gardens. Just my two cents. ;)

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    1. Thanks, Tina, while we do get lots of rain in the winter, usually, with the changes in weather we can't be sure about the future, so native plants are a good way to go. We don't water our lawn, it is adapted to the wet and dry seasons. We don't live in town where it matters, either.

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  39. The chicks are absolutely beautiful . You have an amazing variety of plants and flowers doing well in spite of the scary PNW drought. Our daughter and SIL have five acres and they have had to let the back three go dry. They only water the trees bordering that back part . And the two acres of garden and yard they do water is not easy.

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  40. Lots of warm colors in your garden this bloom day! Your new Arctostaphylos look very interesting. Such a cool plant family!

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  41. Lots of warm colors in your garden this bloom day! Your new Arctostaphylos look very interesting. Such a cool plant family!

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    1. Thanks, Peter, I hope the Manzanitas will be so cool to grow. All your flowers are wonderful, especially I like your variegated Brugsmansia.

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  42. Thanks, Sallie, I hope the drought situation will not continue, but since we are entering the dry part of the year I don't know that we can count on much rain before fall. I use soaker hoses and cover them with grass clipping mulch to keep the water from evaporating as fast. So I have to drag hoses to connect to soaker hoses and I don't water grass.

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  43. All your flowers look so beautiful, Hannah!!! There are many I've never seen before, the blue Eryngium flowers for example...I like silvergreen and silverblue plants a lot and I also love the fantastic colours of your lilies and of this beautiful rose :)
    Last year I picked the seeds of a white snapdragon. This spring I have sown them on the balcony of my Dad...It's growing and I hope it's blooming soon, too :)
    Enjoy a wonderful time!
    Lots of love
    Katrin :)

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    1. Thanks, Katrin, I'm intrigued by the shapes and metallic blues of the Eryngiums, I'm happy to have some blooming again, but I hope they will do well and get bigger for next year. The one I bought 2 years ago didn't bloom the second year but at least is still alive. I love the red roses, they don't seem to bloom as much as the white ones. I hope your snapdragons bloom. Hugs, Hannah

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  44. Beautiful flowers. I agree about planting drought resistant plants.

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  45. Hannah I have often thought of all the gardeners in the PNW with the drought...but so many flowers adapt and flower anyway!

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