Monday, September 12, 2011

Droughty Fall

The garden is sure looking sad this year. Usually at this time it is recooperating from the late summer drought we normally have. However this year has not been normal in any stretch of the imagination.

I will say that there are finally a few pretty bugs in the garden. The above Red Admiral looks a little tattered but it isn't the only one that has been to visit lately.
As this Gray Hairstreak is taking advantage of the holes that the hummers have been making in the hosta flowers so have the Red Admirals like the one on the header photo.
After having a sip from the butterfly bush this Monarch was seen on a milk weed vine. I wonder if it was looking for a place to lay eggs.
The Silver Spotted Skippers have been in evidence all summer. Nothing seems to put them off schedule.

It is a bit surprising to have honey bees but I am happy to see them buzzing around.
Another pleasant surprise this summer was the vine growing beside the compost bin. These big yellow-orange blooms started developing.  
Then we started finding some little green fruits that developed into...
Yes, you guessed right, an Acorn Squash.  The best part is this is not the first one we got from this vine. Let me tell you. This hasn't been watered this summer. It would be a good veggie to plant if you have dry growing conditions.  As far as I can tell it hasn't had any bugs adversely bothering it.
I am trying to put on my happy face about this growing season but it is a struggle. I just keep telling myself that there are people out there with worse problems. When I look around and see the dwarf mondo grass dieing...
And the last of my standing dogwoods looking like this I begin to lose heart. 
I haven't felt this way about the garden since my Mother passed away. It is difficult to even get the nerve up to go out and water. Oh well, enough of that. Buck up girl. I know I can do it. Just look at this pretty little wall hanging planter that was given to me at the beginning of the season. To read more about that you can go here.  It has grown into it's own. I could hang it on the wall if I had a spot. I don't really have a place to hang it so it sits propped up  on a shelf. It must be happy enough because a couple of the plants are blooming. 
They have the sweetest little white bloom. 
I have had another amazing discovery.  Quite by accident too. It seems that Lowes had geranium starts and alyssum to practically give away so I put them in my knot garden for a little summer color. I am thrilled to say they have been watered only three times in the past three months and they look great.
On this happy note I am going to sign off. I debated on wheter to post this whiny diatribe about this growing season since it seemed like I went from Bloom Day to Gloom Day. I think I feel better about it so thanks so much for listening.  I do want to let you know that we here at Greenbow are alive and hopeful. I hope that you are too.

28 comments:

  1. If it had not been for Tropical Storm Lee, we would be singing the same tune. Where are you located again?

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  2. It does feel better to whine a little and put a gloom day post up. But then you can look over these photos and see happy butterflies and a lovely knot garden and feel a little better. It's so tough to garden in the variable elements and weather when they don't cooperate.

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  3. Sorry to hear of you angst about this year's garden. But we gardeners are a resilient buch of souls always looking to next year. Try to look forward and not backwards.

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  4. I don't blame you one bit for whining, Lisa. We had a little rain last week, but not much. According to the forecast last week, Lee was supposed to send more rain our way and it looked like towards you, too, but once again the weatherman was wrong.

    But you can take heart in all these lovely visitors to your garden--I love your header photo! Oh, and I have a vine growing in my compost bin, too; I'm still not sure what it is but my best guess is some muskmelon. The best-looking of the tomato plants is growing there, too:)

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  5. Lisa...so sorry about your drought conditions...you will be amazed when the rains finally come how quickly things will turn around. It has happened her in the past month or so...suddenly (after years) we are getting hardy afternoon showers again and everything is lush and green once again. A miracle! Glad all of you at Greenbow are well...
    xoxo Julie

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  6. Well, I've been whining a lot lately, so it does me good to snap out of it and realize other gardeners are hurting through drought too. Not that I want you to be! Here's to keeping on keeping on until the rains return.

    And your succulent picture frame looks great!

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  7. So you managed to turn your mourning into dancing ... ha! I'll admit, it hasn't been much of a garden year up here either. Today I was wandering around muttering to myself whether it would even be worth it to plant next year! But Spring will come and the growing urge will spring up once again.

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  8. Dear Lisa,

    I understand your despair. I was in the same position around six years ago. We also had a hosepipe ban. I watched my garden wither and yet I was amazed the following Spring at what had survived.
    I feel sure in my heart you will be too :)
    Gardening is an unknown quantity we never know how things will develope.


    Look at the lovely butterflies, coming to your garden and honey bees....lovely to see them.
    Sadly due to our wet summer I have seen very few butterflies....sigh.

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  9. The surviving plants will be even stronger... When you consider the weather you ad, yor garden looks good. But I undertand your feelins, we don't like to see plants dying. Let's hope next summer will e better.

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  10. I am sorry about the drought. Your photos are telling.

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  11. Lisa girl you are not a whiner at all ! You have had a discouraging season this year and all of us gardeners UNDERSTAND what that is like .. you are a garden mom that cares about her garden and it sucks when you think a year seems wasted.
    You have captured so many gorgeous butterflies in pictures .. I am quite jealous because I see one for a second , get the camera and POOF ! it is gone .. even to the extreme when I saw the shadow of one .. looked up only to see it take off EH! LOL
    Take heart garden sister .. there is always next year and many plants you might think have gone to plant heaven, have roots that are still hanging in !
    Joy : )

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  12. I don't hear any whining at all, just sharing the daily trials of having a garden. Some days it's hard but sometimes a volunteer squash shows up :) ps really like your knot garden

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  13. Love the knot garden. Wish I could have made one work.

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  14. I hope things will turn around, a wishful side!

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  15. We got an inch of rain at the beginning of Sept. but I had ordered stuff for fall planting thinking we'd be back to normal by now ...NOT! So I am watering a lot to keep all the new things alive including all the stuff I put in at the beginning of the season. Just don't want rain like my sister got in Vt.

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  16. Utterly gorgeous. So much delicate beauty despite the conditions....

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  17. Dear Lisa,
    It has been a most difficult Summer for you. Losing the Dogwoods makes my heart ache for you. I am very grateful for the cooler weather. Summer lingers one more week....
    Glad to see your bugs are back.....
    Your knot garden is so lovely....
    It is migration time. I bet the Monarchs will be spending time with you getting ready for Mexico!
    May rins come and refresh your world...
    Sherry

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  18. Hey girl you changed your header picture and it looks fabulous !!
    It is COLD this morning again but I love it : )
    Joy
    PS .. give me a couple of months and I will say I hate it ? LOL

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  19. Lisa, that is so disheartening. Last year we had a late summer drought that continued into autumn and it was devastating for so many plants to go into winter stressed. I hope you get some rain soon. We've missed out on all the tropical storm rains too & I've had to start watering the woody plants.

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  20. I am similarly disheartened, but for a different reason... we've had TOO MUCH rain, and things (read: weeds) have exploded into a garden mess here. I don't know where to begin, either... but I'm pretty sure that it will require an additional trip to Home Depot for lawn & garden bags. *sigh*

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  21. We were totally in synch last week with our butterfly adventures!

    http://cowgirlred.blogspot.com/2011/09/wordless-wednesday-monarch-butterflies.html


    I love synchronicity!! Who was it that wrote about it so much....Jung? xoxo Terah

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  22. Hi Lisa, love the surprise squash! I haven't been feelin' the garden love this year either--at all. Just like you said, I'm afraid to go out and even look because I know how badly I've let things go this year. let's all rejoice in fall and hope the frost kills the weeds for us (ha ha). Here's to a better season next year

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  23. I got a big smile on my face when I saw your volunteer squash! It reminded me of the time I found a volunteer avocado plant!

    I am ready for the frost to come and take my garden this year. It has not been one of our best. "To everything there is a season... "

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  24. Lisa - you left a comment on my Melanie and Ray post - but that wasn't supposed to appear for another week! I hadn't put in the photos yet, and I mis-set the schedule button. You will see several photos of their garden - on October 15. Close-ups today are from their garden.

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  25. I just stumbled onto your blog. What a great site you have! I am your newest follower and I hope you will follow back! Blessings to you!

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  26. Oh Lisa, my heart sank a little for you as I read through your post.

    I completely understand what it's like when your garden that usually lifts and refreshes your soul being a place you are not interested in it. Hang in there, the spirit of your garden will return and you will be back to garden business sometime soon :-)

    Oh yes... I'd send you some of my rain if I could :-)

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