Man, it is really HOT out there. Yesterday we topped out at 105 (which would be 40.5 for you Celsius scale users). No matter which scale you use, it is hot.
The gardens are holding their own, due to massive application of water. Jim has installed drip irrigation all over the place, and it is really working very well. We buy in large quantities from Peaceful Valley Garden Supply in California. Even having to pay for shipping, it winds up being cheaper for us. Plus, when you call them with questions they are extremely helpful.
So, we do have what appears to be a spring that has formed under the driveway.
If I was St. Bernadette, I would be acclaiming the miraculous spring. I’m not, and the plumbers are back at their shop waiting for DigRite to come and tell us what we already know, which is where the City’s water lines are (right next to the street), and if we have buried power and phone lines (no, you can see them on the poles). But it is the law, and wise plumbers won’t send out their backhoe and other digging equipment before DigRite has told them it is okay. I find it amusing that the name of this service clearly implies that this is a ritual that we all have to go through in order to propitiate the Gods of Government before we can commence with our jobs.
One of the results of the ice storm was the death of a tree by the back side of the house. We had already lost one tree there, and the loss of the second tree plus the loss of canopy next door has put a huge amount of stress on the West Side Hosta garden. So, today we got out a big piece of shade cloth that we inherited from Jim’s folks, and installed it over the hostas and coral bells over there. We had talked about building a small shade arbor there, but it is not happening fast enough to save the lives of the plants over there. So this is a stop gap measure until Jim gets back from New Hampshire.
He is going out there with his buddy Pete in order to take another class in Windsor Chair making. This time they are going to learn how to build a Continuous Arm chair. It will be their fifth style of Windsor Chair that they have learned to build, so at the conclusion of this class they will be made Knights of Windsor by the Powers That Be at the Windsor Institute. Jim has actually stated aloud that he intends to start building chairs for sale next year some time. That would be pretty cool. Especially if they sell.
Meanwhile, we are HOT.
Well now I don’t feel so hot, we only got up to a measley 92 yesterday, but we may make to 98 tomorrow. Sounds like a problem with your unexpected underground water source. If it helps, a couple of years ago, the old sewer drain in my house exploded. Absolutely terrible. It got fixed, but what an awful experience. The plumbers required us to put down plastic all over the crawlspace where they had to work, I think we had to spread lime out as well. Yow, what a time. At least you have your beautiful garden to go walk around in.
What exactly is a Windsor chair? I should know this, and I think I have an idea, but I’m not quite sure.
Ian, the answer is long and complicated. I will do a post today with pictures. You are not the only person with that sort of question. Meanwhile, the Windsor Institute http://www.thewindsorinstitute.com/ has a website that you might find useful. This is where Jim is going to take a class.
So, when hostas lose their leaves from the heat, is it just a die back (I hope I hope) or is the plant dying totally? We are in severe draught here. Every now and again I venture to the lawn plants and give them a taste of water. And then feel guilty. But if I don’t I feel guilty. No win situation.
Makes me think of the miracle that is rain. How often do I think of that? Not often enough. So today I am being grateful for rain.
Hostas losing their leaves from heat and dry is probably a move to dormancy to protect themselves. However, you have to be circumspect with regard to hostas. They may die on you if they don’t receive sufficient water.
I was fascinated to learn last year when I started reading up on hostas that in their natural habitat, which is on the coasts of Japan and Korea, they live on sunny banks, much as our native day lilies do here. They are listed in the garden catalogs as shade tolerant plants because they still perform well even when they are in a shady situation. But they like sun, all right.
The thing is, look at the climateof Japan and Korea. While they sit at about the same latitude as we do, and southern Japan is warmed by the Japan current, the prevailing winds come down off of Siberia, and keep them quite a bit cooler. That air flow of cool air off of the taiga and the warm wet air evaporating off of the Japan current provides a large quantity of rain on those sunny banks that the hostas occupy in their native habitat.
The key to keeping hostas happy in the heat is to provide them with shade, mulch them well, and give them lots of water. Sorry, but water really is the key. To add to the irony, they really prefer to be in very well drained soil, too.
If you are feeling guilty about watering them because of the drought, then I suggest you do what we did when we were going through the extremely bad drought in Marin County in the early 90s. We put a big 60 gallon plastic barrel behind our washing machine, and collected every bit of water from our laundry. We used a sump pump connected to our hose to water the fuchsias, ferns, wisteria, roses, plum tree, apricot tree, etc. etc. etc. Since the wash water and the rinse water were combined, the detergent did not seem to harm anything. In fact, the year we were doing this there were virtually NO aphids in the entire garden.
I agree, using ‘grey’ water from the house is a great way to save gardens (and avoid guilt!).
And I know exactly how those hostas feel – I like a bit of sun just as much as the next person, but 105 degrees? Sheesh, I’d be wilting too!