Mid-summer planting frenzy
Newly planted sparkler sedge (Carex phyllocephala ‘Sparkler’) in the back garden
On Thursday evening, while examining my garden through the window, I jotted down a to-do list : pull out that pitiful euryops and try a medium-sized grass instead; replace a sun-loving gaura with ‘Milky Way’ aspidistra where the vitex has shaded out a bed; find something with bright foliage for the back shade garden. To do in October, I wrote.
Then it dawned on me. This is October weather right now! It’s been in the mid-80s rather than the usual mid-90s or 100s. It’s been raining steadily for weeks. (In fact, we got almost 3 inches more this morning.) No doubt Austin’s real summer will return from wherever it’s gone on vacation, but until then, I’m getting out the shovel. So I ran right out to Barton Springs Nursery and bought a trunkload of plants.
And then I came home and planted every one of them in the rain.
New ‘Yaku Jima’ miscanthus in the sunny front bed
Yes, I know I shouldn’t work the soil while it’s wet, blah, blah, blah. I know it’s forbidden to plant anything other than agave, cactus, or yucca in mid-summer (that’s my own number-one rule), blah, blah, blah. I did it anyway, and it felt great. So this is what gardeners in cooler parts of the world can do in the summer, instead of just sulking in the house under the A/C vent, waiting. Fantastic!
Those familiar with Austin’s usual hot and drought-plagued summers may be shaking their heads sagely and muttering, “She’ll regret it when the weather turns.” Well, maybe yes and maybe no. But even if we’re in the 100s next week and don’t see rain again until September, it will have been worth it for yesterday’s one, glorious, mid-summer planting frenzy.
New ‘Milky Way’ aspidistras under the vitex, next to columbine, chile pequin, and rudbeckia
A close-up of ‘Milky Way’ foliage
I agree, I don’t think you will be sorry later. You had too much fun planing. Everything looks lush and green in your garden. Maybe it won’t even got hot in Austin this summer? Me, I’m thinking that some of the areas of grass that look pretty bad from getting very little rain might be good places to dig new flower beds for fall planting.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens (send rain!)
Oh, I think it will definitely get hot again. Summer doesn’t usually end here until the fat lady sings, around early to mid-October. There’s plenty of time for normality to return, but in the meantime I’m enjoying the reprieve. Sending rain thoughts your way . . . —Pam
Pam,
I think it is wonderful you got to plant – I agree, the weather is truly Central Texas fall right now. I look forward to seeing if your planting frenzy will take and flourish if we get a jolt of summer soon. However, at the rate we are going, it is looking like we will coast into fall without the heat. Wouldn’t that be a treat!
Tim in Leander
I’m looking forward to the same thing, Tim. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for at least another week or two of this unusual weather. —Pam
I keep pinching myself and thinking that the spell has got to break soon, and that this glorious, once-in-a-lifetime summer, fall, whatever it is, has to end. But then a new week appears with rain in the forecast. Will the streak continue into August?!
I love the sparkler sedge and will make a note of planting that this fall in my shady backyard, where I always need pops of white or lighter foliage.
I hope the streak continues into October! But I’ll happily take this for however long it lasts. This a summer that Austin gardeners dream of.
Regarding the sparkler sedge, the folks at BSN told me that it likes heavy shade here. Any sun, and the tips will burn. I hope I gave mine enough shade, but without sun for the last several weeks, it’s almost hard to remember where the sun reaches. 😉 Also, it’s a little frost-tender, so plant it where it will have some protection. —Pam
Even if the air temperatures rise quickly, it will take a while for the deeply watered, cooler-than-usual ground to heat… so the roots can still function and will have some time to take hold. I think your plants have an excellent chance of survival, Pam! The sedge looks great.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
That’s what I’m banking on, Annie. But like I said, it was all worth it for that mid-summer planting extravaganza. What fun! —Pam
Way to go, Pam. I think it’s fantastic that you were planting in July. I love the miscanthus and sparkler sedge. Their foliage is fantastic looking in your photos.
I have one ‘Yaku Jima’ miscanthus already and really like it. The sparkler sedge is new to me, so I’m eager to see how it works out. —Pam
What a great post… I could almost feel your glee, and the raindrops as well, and it made me smile. (I love to plant in the rain, too.)
Sometimes you just have to thumb your nose at the conventional wisdom when the feeling hits. The hellebore that I moved during our June drought is doing just fine–although I admit that this is the first time I have said that out loud for fear of jinxing it. lol.
Yes, when the gardening urge hits, sometimes you just have to let it loose. 😉 I’m glad your risky hellebore transplant was successful. —Pam
Rules are made to be broken! Good for you on all the planting!
I appreciate the encouragement, Layanee. —Pam
“So this is what gardeners in cooler parts of the world can do in the summer, instead of just sulking in the house under the A/C vent, waiting.” If it’s a rainy summer, yes, but in a dry summer, (which is usually also hot, but this year is cool) we sit around sulking, wishing we had A/C. I think the presence of adequate moisture is more of a factor than temperature for us.
I’m glad you’re having a cool summer too, most especially since A/C is in short supply up in Cold Climate land. Rain is key for gardeners everywhere, and today we got even more thundershowers. —Pam
Very pretty. I like your gardening blog and hope to be back to view more and more of it.
Thanks, Becky. I appreciate your visit and kind comment. —Pam
Congratulations on the rain–we could all use it!
Like that Carex you’ve planted and rules are made to be broken, especially gardening rules. 😉 Like your sense of adventure!
It makes me smile when I read how happy some gardeners are with rain and it is very understandable too. Over here it is a different story because we’ve had 6 weeks of rain now and more is yet to come alas. Everything is soaking wet, in Great Britain they’re having floods at the moment. Not good!
Yes, I’ve read about the terrible floods in Britain. Some areas of central Texas are flooded too, unfortunately. The amount of rain we continue to get this summer is astonishing. In my garden, it makes a nice change from having to worry about watering, plus the cloud cover is keeping the temperatures down, but around town people are starting to grumble. It doesn’t make for nice, summer days at the lake or Barton Springs. —Pam