We had a very, very light spattering of rain yesterday, which was a nice surprise. It's the first rain we've had in all of July but it wasn't enough to matter. It lasted about four seconds, just enough time to leave drops on the windows and remind us what rain looks like, and then vanished.
According to our local NW3 weather web site, this is the driest month on record:
But that doesn't mean things aren't growing in the garden. The inulas (above) are blooming...
...as are the red-hot pokers, or Kniphofia. This is the one that I dug up last year because it was being shaded out by surrounding plants. I put it in a pot and moved it to a sunnier space, and now we're seeing a tiny developing flower. It hasn't bloomed in years, so I'm glad that work paid off.
The African daisy is still producing blossoms. It's having a banner year.
And these, believe it or not, are chrysanthemums. Remember the ones I bought for the front porch last autumn? When the flowers faded I simply kept them, and they died back to almost nothing, but then they came out again this summer and they're covered with buds. I've always treated chrysanthemums like annuals but it's nice to know they'll bounce back if overwintered.
On the indoor plant front, remember the yucca I pruned back in May? It has finally, finally sprouted from the cut-off stalk. So next year, after these little sprouts have grown a bit, I'll cut the other stalk down and we'll have a rejuvenated (and much smaller and more manageable) yucca plant.
Here's the whole garden. As you can see, our grass is not happy. I mowed the "No-Mow May" area in the center rear of the garden, because the grass had gone to seed and I don't think there were any bugs doing anything meaningful in there. The insect world is already beginning to decline as we move toward autumn.
Dave discovered this fellow on some toadflax in a pot. It's the caterpillar for the toadflax brocade moth. (This is where I wish I had my macro lens -- the camera phone photo doesn't do it justice!) Anyway, I'd just pulled up some toadflax so I went rushing to the yard waste bin to make sure I didn't inadvertently throw away any caterpillars, and I didn't see any. Close call for this guy, who fortunately is on a plant I left behind.
Isn't it amazing that caterpillars are often so specific about the plants they will eat? For many there are no other options.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's interesting how certain plants and insects have developed such a high degree of biodependency.
DeleteI use my phone camera on portrait for close up's, much sharper photo, I have blooms around the garden fewer than last year.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to remember that about portrait mode! Maybe that will help me feel better about the phone camera.
DeleteI think you have magic hands with plants, what with the chrysanthemums and all those discarded palnts you have saved.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't write about the ones that die. 😆 (And seriously, some do -- particularly the "rescues.")
DeleteNice to learn that chrysanthemums can rejuvenate with care, Steve. As for that caterpillar, I followed the link and read that it can destroy plants, so was surprised about the rescue.
ReplyDeleteI think it only destroys toadflax, which is basically a weed, so I don't mind that.
DeleteGreat shot of the caterpillar!
ReplyDeleteYour lawn will recover in no time. We go through this almost every summer.
Yeah, our lawn always browns off in the summer, but this really is an unusually long and arid dry spell.
DeleteWe'd been quite dry for several months and over the weekend it poured here; everything looks so fresh and even the heat drop for a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to the heat!
Isn't it amazing how one good rain makes such a difference?
DeleteSo many plants, and you seem to know every one of them by name.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't know the name, I make one up. 😆 KIDDING!
DeleteWe leave our mum on the front porch year-round & it always comes back. The only thing I do to it (sometimes) is trim away the dead leaves. I'm pretty sure I never got around to it this year, so the mum just grew through them. It's pretty resilient!
ReplyDeleteI never knew this until I was walking a few streets away and saw a mum in someone's garden. It was springtime, and that was when I realized they could be overwintered. So I thought I'd try it myself!
DeleteUK gardens generally survive whatever's thrown at them, as your plants are proving. The caterpillar is so handsome. Everything has its place in the world.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It is a very pretty caterpillar.
DeleteI think it was 108 F here yesterday and supposed to get that hot today so my days have started around 4 am and ended at about 9 am, at least the outside part of them.
ReplyDeleteOMG! That's hideous! Even our hottest days are nowhere near that hot.
DeleteYou take such great care of your garden and all of its critters and insects, Steve. You seem to know every inch of it and the name of every plant and bug and animal!
ReplyDeleteWell, some of them I have to look up -- I didn't know that caterpillar until now, for example. But I am interested in identifying what grows here, it's true.
DeleteThe garden is looking fantastic! Hardy chrysanthemums are perennials (they even come back in icy Michigan). The others are annuals. But I think if you keep the others alive somehow, they still come back.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that!
DeleteEverything about our weather patterns is unusual these days. It's seems very strange for you to not have any rain all month. I love seeing all the blooms in your garden.
ReplyDeleteSummer in England is often warm and relatively dry, which is what makes it such a pleasant season here, but this is ridiculously dry!
DeleteOf course you rushed to the trash bin to look for 'uprooted' caterpillars. That's our Steve!
ReplyDelete(This is Chris from Boise)
DeleteLol! It is!
DeleteHa! I'd have felt so guilty if I'd thrown any of them out!
DeleteThe unusual lack of rain plus high heat is hard on the gardens. The poor grass suffers equally, if not more so.
ReplyDeleteI'm experimenting with MiniClover that I bought on Amazon. It seems hardier than grass and looks like a ground cover. The seed is now spread in one large area as a test site. MiniClover boasts: Easy to establish, wear tolerant, perennial and low water requirements. If it works well, I might replace all the lawn.
Well, that sounds like an interesting experiment. Let us know how it goes! I don't worry too much about the grass. It looks brown for a couple of months but it always bounces back.
DeleteThat's a beautiful caterpillar. We need a good rain! My plants are doing OK but I'm tired of watering. Chrysanthemums are perennials here although I've never had any luck with that.
ReplyDeleteThey go through a period where they look terrible, and I'm sure that's when most get thrown out. If you can shepherd them through that ugly stage, they repay you!
DeleteThe African daisy is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great? It's sometimes sold as Osteospermum. You could probably get it where you are.
DeleteWhat remarkable markings on the caterpillar.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it pretty? And the moth is so weirdly brown -- nothing like the caterpillar.
DeleteI am so pleased with my flower beds. My vegetable beds too, for that matter. It has been a few years since I have seen results like this.
ReplyDeleteGood! Wonder if it's heat or rain or what?
DeleteI am happy to see the kniphofia has survived and it will eventually spread to fill that pot. All your other plants are looking great.
ReplyDeleteP.S. have you thought about searching for a drought resistant grass for the lawn?
ReplyDeleteNah, I don't care if the lawn gets brown. It bounces back. It's just the way it looks at this time of year.
DeleteMy iPhone 13 on Portrait mode does a decent job with close-ups, often excellent (unless I’m fooling myself which is a good possibility). I always enjoy your garden. I never knew about chrysanthemums overwintering. Yours look ecstatic. The caterpillar is even more beautiful than the moth that comes. We had to cut back our yuccas on our terrace every few years. They sure are prolific when they‘re happy.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- the caterpillar is prettier than the moth! I kind of remember you guys cutting back those yuccas. And the aloes too, right?
DeleteI did thin out the aloes regularly to leave room for them to spread and for nutrition.They, too, were prolific.
DeleteI've had that experience with chrysanthemums, too. Currently there are two budding and blooming, including one which has weird blossoms, and which I dug up and tossed last year. There must have been a scrap of root left behind, because it's huge again.
ReplyDeleteWow! I certainly didn't know the whole plant would regenerate from a scrap of root! And I was feeling so proud of myself for pulling these through. :)
DeleteI have a tiny chrysanthemum in my side garden and it's pathetic. It gets shaded by the gardenia. I think that's the problem.
ReplyDeleteNice caterpillar! More interesting than the moth, I think.
I want to transfer back to my old iPhone 13 from the airPhone just for the camera. Turns out that it isn't that easy to switch from a newer phone to an older one.
Dangnabbit!
Can you take pictures with your iPhone 13 even if you don't use it as a phone or for Internet? I think all you'd need is a cable to download the photos to your computer.
DeleteYour garden is proving that even during a very dry summer there is still plenty happening if we take the time to look closely. I love that you rescued the kniphofia and gave it a better spot because seeing plants recover after a little care is always rewarding. The chrysanthemum story was interesting too, I have always thought of them as seasonal plants, so it is good to know they can return with the right conditions. That little caterpillar was a lucky find, it is amazing how much life can be hidden among ordinary garden plants. I recently shared a new blog post too and would love for you to visit when you have a chance.
ReplyDelete