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Sunday 3 July 2016

Rain , are you on vacation ?

Many of us gardeners in south eastern Ontario are wondering if "Rain" is on vacation.
Why didn't "Rain" explain that this was going to happen .. that it needed a change of scenery, to let down its ... well ... rain ? and relax else where rather than here where we are missing it tremendously.
"Rain" should be aware that it is teaching us a lesson ... and if not "Rain's" doing.
 Climate change or perhaps we can be more personal and say "Mother Nature" ?
Is she telling us "you better wake up people because things are changing and you have to go with the flow or lack there of"
Does this mean more drought tolerant native plants for gardeners ?
To stop fussing with "fussy" plants because they just don't cut it any more ..
Are we being TOLD in no uncertain terms it is time to CHANGE and sooner rather than later.
All these points are running through my head .. even though I have been so fortunate to have a sprinkler system installed this year .. yes .. I am very spoiled .. yet I am dead serious about not relying on it too much and rethinking plants even though I have been trying to go more drought tolerant and natural the past few years as it is.
Will you be rethinking as well ?
I just visited Barb's blog and read that she is thinking some what the same ideas as well while she recuperates from her back complaining to her ? LOL
She has some great books on her reading list you might want to have a peek at too.

Mean while just a few pictures of the garden end June .. early July .. those droplets are from the luxury of a little rain and the sprinkler system.




I hadn't noticed how pretty Bressignham Beauty astlibe flowers were until I took that moment.

Buds on the Butterfly Weed

The roses



Clematis



A look backwards
All shot in the morning shadows .. not the best lighting but quiet (not windy) and cool.
Finally my favourite area (I forgot to turn the fountain on ..oops!)
In any case .. July is going to be just as dry if not dryer ... so my gardening mind is forever turning over on what changes should be made ...

13 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I think the dryness here is why I can't grow astillbe. There are many things that are supposed to be drought tolerant that I can't grow too. Weird. Jst gotta find the right spot for everything. Your garden looks good even though you haven't had enough rain. The sprinkler is a good thing. When we returned from vacation I was shocked at how awful my garden looked. I had a lot of work to do. We have finally got a little rain. Almost an inch last night and we are supposed to get more. I am thrilled. I hope the rain comes through your area.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I thought about this too but in the end I thought what would the world look like with just a bunch of cactus and succulents? I think having beautiful green gardens even though they require water is worth it for the environment. It creates it's own environment. I wouldn't give up my garden. I have planted some succulents and drought things but I still go for the green plants too.

Years ago when we moved into this house, that we had built for use, there were no plants/grass etc. Just bare dirt. The temperature that year reached 120 degrees. Now we are coasting along at 10 degrees cooler then the rest of the ranch on those hot days. You can walk outside the yard and then come back and it is like you went to a different town.
We have many different birds and wildlife that flock to our garden. On any Summer day you can walk out and see different critters enjoying the shady coolness.
So I believe the plants/trees/grass makes it better. It sure makes it better for me anyhow(-:
Enjoy your yard and be proud of all the work you have done! It is beautiful!

rochefleuriegarden said...

After 3 weeks without a drop,we got a fair bit last Friday. I should have got to you on Saturday, but by then I suppose there was none left!

Barbarapc said...

Thanks for the shout-out Joy! Your garden is looking really lush. Hasn't it come together beautifully?! In a fit of madness, I pulled out some offending plants (a brown bag full of Anemone nemerosa) that had colonized in my back garden and talk about "the cheese stands alone". Yikes the little hosta, and few other treasures that I'd tried to reveal are standing in this baron waste-land scolding me for taking away their community. I'm itching to move them together, but hoping for their sake for a little less heat and a stretch of rain.... It's a real trick this sustainability combined with a gardener wanting plants to do what the gardener wants....I think we both know how this is going to end. And I don't think I'm placing my bet on the one with the clippers and refuse bag at the moment.
Barbarapc

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Lisa girl : )
Plants are so darn picky at times .. we research how they "should" do under the right conditions and most of the time they follow through but for others it doesn't matter what we do they thumb their noses at us and drop dead .. I can well imagine how shocking it must have been when the weeds took over and your poor garden was invaded .. this lack of rain has been a real pain (I am lucky with the sprinklers though and I am so danr grateful for that!)
Fingers crossed the rain gods will smile on us girl !

Cindee girl I get exactly what you are saying .. I might have used the wrong wording when I was doing this post ... maybe I should have said more "native" plants that can put up with dryer conditions?
I have that mini climate too with my gardens ... the back garden has a huge leafy tree that really lessens the heat in summer .. our little creatures appreciate it too .. having a source of water and refuge from the heat makes the garden so alive and we enjoy it so much too.
I know you have worked so hard on your gardens you wow me every time you do a new project girl .. you have such talent .. I wish I could see your place in person because I know it would bring out the kid in me !!
The Little princess is so lucky to have you as a grandma !

Hello Alain ... you are too right .. we got a little by the time it arrived. There is a weird lake affect that works against us a lot of times and blows the rain clouds across to the American side .. darn it !! LOL

Hello Barb girl and thank you too ! It is too funny that I also "moved" some anemone as well but I put it in my ally way garden to see what it does there .. I corner my "thug" plants in that area and let them duke it out ? haha
LOL .. Barb a gardener wants what a gardener WANTS and keeps trying no matter what.
We are in a heat wave for this week so I am hiding in the house for most of it! Yikes!!

A Cuban In London said...

You asking for rain? Should I e-mail it through to you or can I post it? :-) Except for this week there's been rain in London almost every day for the last month and a bit.

Greetings from London.

Pat said...

Everything looks perfect ! Love all the colors. Still too tidy for me ...lol Oh is that vinca vine I see ?

Rose said...

Your garden looks beautiful, Joy, even without the rain. I love the flagstone paths through your garden, and that astilbe is indeed a beauty. That is one plant I have trouble growing. I let my shade garden fend for itself unless it gets bone dry, and I don't think the astilbe appreciate the neglect. I can tell you where the rain is--it's stalled over the Midwest! Hope it works its way north to you soon.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Mr.Cuban : )
PLEASE send me all the rain yu can ? LOL .. I am sorry you are having such a deluge of the wet stuff .. while others like myself are craving it tremendously for our gardens and the farmers for their crops (in serious trouble this year) .. it must be a bit depressing not seeing the sun so I do feel for you !

Patsi girl you always say it is too neat .. one day I will have to take pictures of the unruly bits just for YOU! .. no.. I don't have vinca vine .. I wonder what you are looking at ?

Hello there Rose girl !
Thank you so much but I am beginning to see drought issues with my Japanese maples .. it takes a while before they really show the strain .. oops ! I should have been watching more carefully.Another person with too much rain .. BIG sigh ! I so wish it would come here and stay on vacation? a few days at least .. start blowing it my way Rose ? LOL

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Thank goodness for the sprinkler system! It has been pretty dry here in Germany as well, of late. But it is supposed to rain from Tuesday - Friday this week :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there OE : )
Yes I thank my lucky stars about the sprinkler system .. but this has been the worst season in 17 years I think .. scary ! I feel sorry for the farmers and eventually as consumers we will be paying a lot more yet again .. ah well ... such is life .

Nadezda said...

Lovely plants Joy! Do you need rain? I can send you a lot of water that we had all last week, my tanks are full of rain water. Need one tank?

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Nadezda girl I so enjoyed your post of the House of Owls and all that gorgeous stained glass!
YES !! send me some rain for pity sake ! we are so dry here it is terrible .. local produce is going to be very expensive this Autumn .. BIG sigh !