At other times of the year this view would be a little bit greener with desert weeds. But most of these simply crisp up and blow away by June, leaving bare soil held down (often ineffectively) by little tufts of dry leaves.
With respect to growing plants in these conditions, I am coming to the conclusion that drought is not actually the prime limiting factor here. After all, we are on a well (shared with neighbors, so I have to respect their bills as well as ours!) which sits on a major underground reservoir. I have enough water for reasonable use.
But the last few weeks have driven home the point that heat and drying winds are major factors in plant selection and garden design.
Some plants will simply be unhappy with 108 F+ (42 C+) heat, no matter how much water they have. Curiously, I feel that this is a serious issue in selection of succulents. The Echeverias, for instance, dislike the intense heat, and watering does not help because they also seem to resent being watered. Senecio "Blue Fingers", on the other hand, appears to be happy with a little more water these days, allowing me to nurse it through... I think! It has taken me awhile to adjust to this concept, and some of the plants have suffered in the meantime.
The other factor is drying winds. These are blowing from the west, from miles and miles of empty land already heated by days of high temperatures (and the gritty soil surface heats like a stovetop, creating dangers in itself). Again, it is not drought in the soil, but the desiccating effect of the winds that has cost me the little stand of crocosmia in the center bed, as well as browning leaves on the tangerine tree. Both had enough water... at their roots.
I expect this second difficulty will be cured less by plant selection than by garden design. Trees and large shrubs that can take these winds need to protect smaller plants within their influence. In the meantime, a thorough hosedown after dusk raises the humidity around the plants and makes them a good deal happier. It's not something I'm doing frequently; but when I do, I notice a big difference in the plants next day. Much more vigourous!
Just a few thoughts as we sail on toward July. By this time next year, I may be looking at things entirely differently, but this is necessarily a journal of where my thoughts are at present!
Weather Diary: Sunny; High: 109 F (43 C)/Low: 86 F (30 C)
You're right, Amy - more water is often not the solution and timing irrigation is also key. I've always read that dry plants should be watered when they show signs of stress but that's often too late - the plant can't always take up the water quickly enough to recover. I'm trying to become a better "plant-whisperer" myself to avoid putting my plants under extreme stress to begin with. My temperatures don't go as high as yours but it's plenty hot here too and we also suffer from drying winds (nearly every afternoon). Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've been faithful to stick mostly with reliably drought-tolerant plants, but that is proving to be a wider group than I knew - with quite a bit of variation in their needs. So "plant whispering" is definitely the only way to go! The succulents really psyched me out because when temperatures started rising I felt I had to add a little water. Some of them nearly died then and there, after which I was afraid to water any of them at all, which was also a mistake :( I think the fact is that if they can't take either heat OR water, they won't survive here at all. I can give a little relief from the dryness, but I can't make it cooler!
DeleteFascinating! We've had very little rain for a couple of months now which for Wales is unusual. Not quite what you have to cope with. You're so right about wind being a problem. Everyone has been commenting here on how windy it has been this spring. I can't do a great deal about it on the allotment unfortunately as I can't erect a windbreak or plant trees to filter the wind. Plants just don't establish very well in windy conditions and they lose so much moisture.
ReplyDeleteFor me the trickiest thing I have to deal with is not knowing what the weather will throw at me. We could have a very wet winter where plants hate sitting in permanently wet soil. This could be followed by an equally wet summer or the complete opposite and no rain for months with the ground baked dry. Our winters are also ranging from very cold - we had minus 15C a few years ago to a winter with no frost at all. It makes selecting plants tricky. I'm finding it fascinating to see how you cope with the conditions you have. Hope you have a lovely weekend. :)
Wind is a real issue and not one I've had to deal with before. You're quite right; it is terribly drying! I understand now why the classic Persian gardens were composed of row after row of trees. I notice that the best-adapted plants here sustain the hot wind with little trouble, and many actually drop their leaves against the summer wind much as cold-climate deciduous trees drop theirs for the winter.
DeleteI think that unpredictable weather must be the hardest to deal with. Your range of winter cold must make for quite a bit of guesswork! I hadn't realized there was so much variation in weather in Wales, which I always think of as lush and green and perhaps a bit chilly... ;-)
such admiration for your attitude to using water as sparingly as possible - it is such a precious resource. I also find that here the drying winds are a limiting factor to what will grow and thrive. Have a good weekend, Amy!
ReplyDeleteIt only seemed reasonable to start with plants that are fairly well-prepared for the climate, which is uncompromisingly dry! It has, however, been a learning curve to start understanding that there are multiple factors even to the dryness - not just the amount of water reaching the roots. It seems that watering can't necessarily keep up with the hottest wind, so I will have to make arrangements accordingly. I'm sure that seacoast gardening produces equally unique challenges - including some that are quite similar - and in fact I'm revisiting the question of using the more heat-tolerant coastal plants, both for the sake of wind-tolerance and salt-tolerance (desert soils are notoriously salty as there is little rain to wash accumulations away). There's always more to learn ;-) Happy weekend, Ann!
Deletesuch admiration for your attitude to using water as sparingly as possible - it is such a precious resource. I also find that here the drying winds are a limiting factor to what will grow and thrive. Have a good weekend, Amy!
ReplyDeleteWater, for what ever it's use is a resource I rather ashamedly take for granted Amy. Reading post by gardeners that garden in conditions such as yours is giving me much more of an understanding. Your image above to me is stark/harsh, what ever adjective I choose makes me, I feel, sound disrespectful but I really don't mean it to be.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to get your thoughts and plans down but as you gain experience and more understanding, those may change but that's what gardening's all about, isn't it?
After all, earth's surface is still 2/3 water... though it's a little hard to remember that from this region ;-) The land and sunlight (even the plants and animals, in many cases) are harsh here - don't worry about the choice of words; it's part of the character of the place. For me there's an excitement to living in it, but it can get stressful at times! And I'm glad I can put my ongoing (changing!) ideas down here on the blog, for people who understand that this is, after all, a journal of sorts... and bound to develop in different ways as time goes on :)
DeleteSo interesting to read about your challenging environment. A *low* of 86 F really made an impression!
ReplyDeleteI discovered your Journal of a Thousand Things -- the monochrome images of flowers are intriguing. We associate flowers with color but these work very well!
Of course, with the low humidity, 86 F is not too bad - compared to 76 F when the soil and atmosphere are both saturated... ;-)
DeleteSo glad you liked my monochrome flower shots! I find it's a good way to explore the beauty of flower forms :)
Great post Amy, gives me a better perspective on your conditions, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, GH! It's a crazy place to garden, but that could be said of many regions... Perhaps you can see why I've been grateful for advice from similarly dry, warm parts of the earth ;-)
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