A hellish summer but the garden still lives
The most difficult gardening summer I’ve ever experienced is stuttering to an end. We still have triple digit temperatures. We still have no rain. We have smoky skies from devastating wildfires. And yet the garden continues to give joy. It helps that I’ve planted a lot of agaves, aloes, and xeric grasses over the years. They are definitely doing better than my other plants in these conditions. I do irrigate on my watering day too, of course. Let’s have no illusions about how the garden would look right now without irrigation.
In the Hillside Garden, the ‘Blue Ice’ Arizona cypress has responded to the heat and drought by growing at least a foot, and maybe more. It was well established before the rains quit, but even so it’s clearly a great tree for our brave new drought-stricken world. Three ‘Adagio’ miscanthus grasses look pretty good too, but they have required regular water. In the back, by the gate, the green vine growing up the fence is my best-performing vine this summer: butterfly vine, or gallinita (Mascagnia macroptera). It suffered in the hard freezes last winter but returned with vigor.
And as gardeners in the Middle East have understood for centuries, a pool of water is essential in the arid garden. My stock-tank pond is the centerpiece of my garden, and the water lilies that bloom in it, like this ‘Madame Ganna Walska’, are reliable all summer, despite the heat. In fact, they love the heat. Under Austin’s current watering restrictions, you must support aquatic life in your pond or forgo refilling it, but a few fish to eat mosquito larvae will do the trick. And a simple container pond will support so much more than aquatic life. You’ll see birds, squirrels, honeybees, wasps, dragonflies, and other creatures coming for a drink (just give them a landing platform of some kind). A water garden nurtures the parched spirit of the gardener as well.
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Your yard is inspiring. I’m lobbying for us to get rid of our lawn — we live in the foothills outside San Diego and may as well be outside of Austin as far as rain is concerned; we’re only a little cool temperature-wise, as well. My husband isn’t ready to give it up yet, so I hand him the water bill to pay out of “his” share of our money! Do you have a filter in your stock tank pond, or do the fish and the plants keep it going well? Thank you.
Melissa, have you seen the book Reimagining the California Lawn? It’s written specifically for California gardeners looking for alternatives, and it might be just the ticket to convince/inspire your husband. Susan Morrison wrote a great review on the Lawn Reform Coalition website. Might be worth checking out. —Pam
This year has truly been a test of the tough — plants and people alike. Your plant choices are wise. I have visions of buying out every red yucca at every nursery and replacing every dead plant — no more worries…until we get a deluge of 50 inches of rain, that is. And one of these years, it will come, I’m sure. I was looking at past weather records, and I see that in the DFW area after the infamous Summer of 1980, in 1981 we got 55 inches of rain that year when our normal is 30. Feast or famine.
Central Texas weather cycles certainly make gardening a challenge. I just hope we’ll see significant rainfall again, Toni, even if it comes down in buckets. Because I garden on a sloping lot, drainage for my succulents isn’t a big concern for me. Instead I worry about an infestation of the snout-nosed agave weevil. There’s always something! —Pam
You’ve definitely made the right choices for your climate Pam, everything looks fabulous.
Well, I only showed the good stuff this time, Loree. 🙂 I’ve had plenty of losses, even of plants considered well suited for Austin. If you could see the swaths of our native trees dying along the roadsides, you’d weep for us. This is a terrible drought, and it will take decades to recover from, I’m afraid. —Pam
Pam, I remember thinking last summer that it couldn’t get any worse. Then the mercury soared over 100 at the end of May … and stayed there. I’m taking note of which plants have thrived in this weather and will add more of them IF fall ever comes!
Yes, me too, Cindy. I’m only considering adding yuccas, nolinas, and feathergrass at the moment. —Pam
I have worried about you Austin Gardeners this summer. When the wildfires started I have really worried. It seems like your area can’t catch a break. Your garden looks good despite it all. Hang in there. Hopefully the drought will be discouraged soon.
From your lips to the weather god’s ear, Lisa. Thanks for the encouragement. —Pam
Your garden looks really good. It has good ‘bones’, which also helps.
I think we may all have to rethink what we can grow here. I thought I had some good choices. But, a lot of things are looking like they just might not make it.
The miscanthus needs extra water? I was hoping it could stand the dryness.
Stay safe….
The miscanthus IS tough, Linda. But one of mine was out of reach of the sprinkler head for several months this summer, and it nearly died. Like most grasses, miscanthus still needs moisture, even though it can handle periods of drought. —Pam
Beautiful and inspiring.
Thanks, Vicki. Selective photos can be misleading though. I have plenty of burned and bare patches. My dry shade areas have been especially hard hit this summer. —Pam
We’re so pleased with our stock tank pond this summer, too. It seems we finally found the right balance of oxygenators–quite by accident because a marginal plant we purchased this spring had some moneywort growing in it. It was murky and brownish this spring–probably from all of the oak pollen, but it finally cleared up nicely in late June/early July. Our lily has been blooming like a champ, too. Nothing from our sad looking bog lily, though. I don’t think it’s very happy at all. 🙁
Sorry to hear about your bog lily, but I’m glad to know you found the right balance for your pond overall. Sometimes that can be a little tricky, especially if you have overhanging trees (I do too), but isn’t it great when you get it, and that water clears up, no chemicals required? —Pam
Are your water lilies winter hardy in your zone? I’d love to get a blue lily, but don’t want to have to worry about bringing it in for the winter. My tanks get at least three days where the ice is about 1/2 thick… Don’t know if the tropical water lilies will tolerate that much cold. ?
Jenn, I have two hardy water lilies, ‘Colorado’ and ‘Helvola’, plus one tropical, ‘Madame Ganna Walska’, pictured in this post. ‘Madame’ is a division from an Austin friend who says that she has overwintered in his stock-tank pond for the past several winters, even with leaves encased in ice at one point. I will know more after this winter, but perhaps she is at least marginally hardy in zone 8b. —Pam
Thanks, Pam!
That’s enough to get me to trial one. A good chance it will do fine!
Good luck, Jenn. Let me know how it does for you. —Pam
So happy I found your blog last year…my stock tank pond is one of the few joys in my garden right now. Things are looking pretty bleak. I’m gonna have to start adding more yuccas. On a bright note, the front where I pulled out the shrubs looks pretty good. I put in a lot of annuals since it was too hot to plant others and they are looking pretty nice still. Small joys, right?!
Yep, it’s all about the small joys for the time being. I’m glad your stock-tank pond is one of them. And I’m glad to have found YOU too, Catherine. —Pam
Thanks for the book recommendation. I haven’t seen it, but will check it out. Fingers crossed…
I know how devastating the drought has been in Texas but your garden looks great. I love the gravel pathway. I hope you get some relief soon.
Thanks, Phillip. I hope so too. —Pam
That first shot is WOWZA! I’m going to put a Stipa in blue ceramic pot ASAP thanks to you!!! What a very cool idea. In fact, next to thinking about Sedges, Stipas might be my new lawn.
Still dry. Still hot (102 today). Still waiting.
David/ 🙂
Stipa works GREAT in pots, David. I have several in my garden. Speaking of a Mexican feathergrass lawn, do you remember my post about this stipa-dominated front yard on a garden tour last year? I need to go by and see if it’s still alive. —Pam