Sharon's blog: What a difference

I'm not saying it's over because I know better, but would you look at this:

10 August 2012	20 August 2012

It's the same area, 10 days and one inch of rain later. The image on the left is a close up view of the same daylily bed you can see in the lower half of the second photo. What a difference.

And you know very well how I've complained of no blooms, nothing but brown and crunchy bare naked gardens for it seems like forever. It rained, about a half inch at two different times during the past 10 days, nothing more. The temps did drop somewhat and instead of 110 it was merely in the 90s last week. Today was gorgeous, mid 80s, a wonderful day and there is not a bare naked thing about any of it. Nor is it brown and crunchy.

About two weeks ago I cut down the tansy. It was burned black and ugly so I cut it all to the ground. It bounced right back.

Tansy is good for keeping the mosquitoes away, though there have been few if any with no rain. Don't break it or brush up against it because it stinks to high heaven, but it does keep insects away from my deck.

The sage and vinca weren't bothered by the heat and drought though some of the vinca finally showed signs of brown on the foliage.  And the Rose of Sharon kept on blooming too, though fewer blooms than other years. It was spindly too, not lush as it usually is.

My roses haven't bloomed since early July and I doubted I'd see them again for awhile, but I did find a carpet rose in bloom and a beaten and battered and slightly mottled Carefree Beauty, bless its heart.

The little fern that grows wild around here gave up in June, but here it is again along with some dead stalks from its first attempt. And the garden phlox that tried and dried is looking quite perky!

I'm saving the best for last!

Here's Larry's Amana Banana Canna!  It tried to bloom a couple of weeks ago, then gave up in the heat. Suddenly today it popped open again and isn't it striking, both foliage and bloom.

This glorious surprise crape myrtle is just such a joy to see every day. It's like it knew I needed something to lift my spirits. It grows near the pot where Ethan's sunflower blooms; I see them both when I glance out my back windows.

It's the little things that make such a big difference.

Maybe this little respite from the heat and drought will last long enough to give me a few much needed gardening days. Sometimes I think I just go dormant until I am down on my knees in the dirt with sweat dripping and garden gloves covered in soil and birdsongs in my ears and buzzing bees all around me. Only then do I begin to feel again.

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