James let me sleep today. He didnt have to go into the salt mines until afternoon, and he went out himself and made ash soil berms around the two transplanted fig trees hed moved in early Spring. They were dropping leaves like it was November......The dry spell and tightening of the soil here is beyond a joke. I never laughed, but today whilst going to the postal orifice to mail the first of many novella like letters to Damon, I noticed the cat litter buckets with all the perennials inside all tucked in to keep them moist were WILTED. In ONE DAY. I stopped what I was doing, turned on the hosepipe and gave everyone a quick drink of about 60 seconds promising everyone in the perimeter Id return and do a proper soak and drown maneuver. (I did) it took me two hours......... James had, after he had built the ash soil berms around the phigg babies, noticed that my doublefile Tomentosa Summer snowflake Viburnum which has NEVER bloomed, was so wilted it appeared it was dead. It sits in a 20 gallon black tree nursery pot in good soil underneath the next to last right hand oak tree that split during the tornados three? four? years ago. I had dragged it there to get a bit more high sunlight and it seemed to perk up. I had decided NOT to plant it yet. I also had moved the Kolkwitzia next to the last willow oak tree on the northern side, moved the Earth Box of hosta to the back where the feet of the tree made natural spaces that are really more perfect for planting little pockets of small bulbs (later) and the huge 5 gallon pot of Autumn Fern as well. This worked out much better. But discovering the state of gasping parched plants dependent upon me for a bit of supplemental moisture, I decided Id go behind the considerate gardening husband and give everyone a deep soak. I cant find the picture of the Viburnum.......I remembered the yellow tree peony in the pot hidden by towering Swampies in the Laugh bed. So I soaked it (James wouldnt remember everything) I went the rounds ever aware of biting evil horseflies, and yellow jackets that might have moved onto another location. I got to the raised bed and soaked it, the Jane Magnolia, the transplanted baby Japanese snowball viburnum, the sad pot of apparently cukes not marrow.....the one Helianthus angustifolius I dug last year and planted near the fence that I am babying. Its a Fall bloomer. I doubled back and soaked the wilting shade bed in front of the oak tree, and then gave the Summer snowflake viburnum more water as I looped back and watered the Kousa dogwoods that Ann sent me, the Kolkwitzia (again) the Loripedilum, the Autumn Fern pot, hosta pot, and up the steps to soak and hose off the surviving roots of Clara Curtis, and everyone on the deck. The Schiffelera almost signed with relief. Refilled the dog and cat water bowl to evict any mosquito larvae, filled up the watering can with the 2 gallons of surplus as I turned off the hose..............I had even in the first left of this watering endeavor, hosed the cacti gardens on the kitchen porch, the jungle cactus hanging in front of the den window, and given everyone on the carport another soak and filled the bowl underneath the Callisia (Cherokee pipe plant) with reminder to fix the bowl because I think the macrame broke on one side. The front had come first, and that was the first hour with my finishing there with stretching the hosepipe as far as I could and blasting overhead the plants just out of reach due to no gate on the corner of our fence. Doubling back I soaked the Mexican bamboo, the Early Amethyst beautyberry, the wilted striped plain hosta, the pots of dappled shade loving ferns and dormant things, and even gave the towering Autumn Jazz Viburnum a soak, the Deutzia a soak and of course the Harlequin Glory Bower and everyone else. The humidity level rose considerably. I even soaked the purple leafed plum babies and the Chinese Almond bush, Ethyls Crispa spirea which was highly upset, the Diablo and Coppertina ninebark, the vertical striped grass and the little toe of pampas that survived our brutal Winter by being killed off by 99%. Korean Spice viburnum sisters, and the front garden in front of the non-dining computer room and tomato pots again, that dark leafed euphorbia and the only spirea that was part of four along the front Ive left in its original spot and the kitchen porch bed. Again. To say Ive watered is an understatement. And no, I didnt forget the Copeland pot, the semp pots, sedums, and the carport raised bed.........I also dragged the Earth pot with the phlox and naked lady and finished Quanzo daylily to the front of the carport bed for later digging a narrow trench and plopping them in as a ground level addition. Its too hard and cracked and dry to do right now.......................The wild aster and the Swampies are delirious with the loose, good soil of the carport garden and tower over everyone that is underneath their knees. I might have made a huge mistake letting them reside there. Its too late now. All the birds baths are filled and replenished and yesterday I filled three of the feeders with cayenne powdered black sunflower seeds. Take that fluffy tailed tree ratted nutters! The suet will get changed by weekend. Its now black............one kind is year round, but turns black, the other one melts in the heat.......................oy vey. The pot with the Ornithgolum blooming has now a sign that says I dont remember planting this in front of the Borage. lol I will bump the bulb up again next year and hope for more than one bloom spike...............the pollinating fliers are ecstatic over it though. And hummers and huge tiger swallow butterflies adore the Harlequins flowers...........The scent of her blooming in the Not So Secret Alley Container gardens is profound when you enter it..................I need to suggest we close the front in and make the gate at Grandmother Snowball viburnum................. Thanks for the updating water ramble. Time to eat something before I blow away.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:59:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015