Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!
Every year, it seems i begin the gardening season with a loose set of objectives in mind; keep up with the weeding (as if), plant for texture as well as bloom, expand the beds for pollinators, and harvest the edibles before marauding deer consume the lion's share. Every year, my various gardening goals are met with varying degrees of success. But working within a loose framework of objectives allows me to maintain my focus and fuels my gardening momentum throughout the season. This year, i added a new goal to my list: Use less water.
Contrary to popular belief, the Pacific Northwest is not a place of perpetual rain. Our summer drought is actually a fairly serious issue. It was around this time last year that my water usage was so high, the utility company warned me of a possible leak. This came as a surprise to me. I thought i was watering my lawn and garden quite skillfully and with restraint. But every minute of irrigation, every trip with a watering can really does add up. So this year, i've barely watered at all. Granted, some of this hydration-deprivation has been motivated by frustration and fatigue. Hoses are a pain in the neck and those watering cans get heavy! But i also wanted to test the garden's resilience around the issue of water scarcity to help guide and shape a more "environmentally friendly" garden and work towards a more maintenance-free landscape. Shall we have a look around to see what might have "passed" my lack-of-irrigation stress test?
First, there's no two ways about it - i'm just in love with lavender. One variety or another always seems to be blooming in my garden and the honeybees go absolutely nuts for it …
The bumbles, too, just can't get enough of it. Among other things, it provides precious "late season" forage when other nectar sources are quite literally drying up …
The magnolia has also surprised me with an incredibly long blooming season …
Orgies of bees crawl all over one another within the glistening cups of its petals …
Agapanthus has also surprised me with its drought tolerant properties. It's an added bonus that the deer leave it alone (knock wood) …
Russian Sage is also "famous" for being deliciously drought tolerant …
I originally planted it, though, with the honeybees in mind …
Chocolate cosmos are looking a little forlorn at the moment, but i think that's because they're craving a suitable companion plant …
Abelia's are doing dandy …
As is this little carpet of creeping thyme …
And of course the weeds don't care if they're given buckets of water or no water at all! Some of them are so pretty …
This one, i let bloom for the bees …
I'm sure i'm blaspheming against the Noxious Weed Gods by allowing even a single weed to flower on my watch. But look how happy they make the honeybees!
This vibrant yellow is technically a weed too - I'm not sure what kind of critter is on it, but it looks like there's plenty of pollen to go around …
Although some things are thriving in these dog days of summer, the lawn grass is a crisp mix of pea-green and gold. That's what happens when you decide not to water. But do i care? Not really. Truth be told, i've always thought lawn grass was a bit overrated.
What's going on in your gardens?