It's August. It's hot, and it's dry. This is normal for southeast Ohio, but that doesn't mean I don't complain regularly about the weather. Lack of moisture has created hardship for delicate plants like astilbe and Japanese painted fern, but most plants are hanging on, some thriving. Dedicated readers will know that I dislike coddling plants. I do all my watering by hand with captured rain water, and I try to keep my work to a minimum, so needy plants often get ignored. Summers like this one reveal which plants are truly tough.
The perennials in the photo above were left to their own devices and haven't suffered for it. Soapwort, agastache, and Chinese skullcap seem unaffected by the drought. The gladioli that overwintered in the bed aren't exactly happy, but they haven't died. St John's wort is too successful, despite no moisture except that which fell from the sky, and will be relocated where it can do less harm.
This is the first dry year since I started the banana experiment, and I was concerned that the plants would languish, so I watered them early on. After the tree frogs invaded the rainwater tank it became difficult to keep up so I abandoned my efforts. Obviously the bananas don't care; they have flourished in all 4 of their current locations. Though they love water they are apparently adapted as well to its lack. That's my kind of plant.
After the initial watering in, my tomato transplants received no irrigation. Yes, that's right, none whatsoever. We had a few storms in the past two months, which provided ample moisture apparently. I have a working hypothesis that over-watering leads to worse outbreaks of the myriad blights and wilts that plague tomato plants. My rule is only water if the plants are actively wilting, not just presenting droopy leaves on a hot afternoon, but really wilting. They never reached that state this season. I grow them in pure compost, which they love, even if it's not completely finished, and prune lower stems regularly.
These July-planted Kentucky Wonders received a few waterings to get them off to a healthy start, then they were on their own. Green beans just don't seem to get thirsty. They fix nitrogen and are culinarily versatile. What's not to love?
The ponds have been dry for months, but remain a green and lush haven for birds, insects, and small mammals. Judging from this photo, one would hardly know how abnormally dry it has been. During the worst part of our July heat wave, I noticed a few wilting weeds, but uncultivated areas appear largely unaffected. Autumn is fast approaching and hurricanes are forming in the Gulf of Mexico. The end of the dry is in sight, and it will be extra exciting this year since it will be the first fall since the ponds were installed. Be prepared for updates.
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