What likes rain and what doesn't

[rainbowgardener]

All this season we have just had rain, rain, rain (wish we could send some to all those of you in drought!). We had one hot, dry week, then cool, gray and rain, rain rain again for weeks now.

So it's interesting to see what is happening in my garden compared to last year which was hot and VERY dry.

All my sun lovers are suffering, tomatoes, peppers doing nothing, lavender plants that have been thriving for years dying off at the bottom etc. Green basil that grew like crazy last year is not doing very much, but the purple basil that just died last year is growing better than it ever has. I wouldn't have expected they would be so different in what they like. It's all basil. The sage which is another desert dwelling herb is handling all this just fine and I will have way more sage than I know what to do with.

Weeds of course are loving this, including pokeweed, that has finally started making flower spikes now that it is over 12 feet tall and gigantic. It looks like I'm growing a pokeweed forest!

[tay666]

I'm in NE Ohio, and have been loving this summer so far.
Yeah, we've had a lot of rain, and the temps are low. But that is what I like.
The low temps have allowed me to get out and get a lot more done in the yard and garden.
The rain has tapered off in this area the past month. We still get rain at least every other day or so. But mostly at night, with sunny afternoons.
The wife's tomatoes and such are loving it.

Some of my flowers are running later than usual. Nikko Blue Hydrangea is just getting ready to bloom. Normally would have already been in full bloom a couple weeks ago.
Hostas are thriving! Bigger and fuller than I have ever seen them.
My new beds that I put in this spring are doing well also. All the extra water has done wonders in helping the plants I moved. (azalea, crimson barberry, golden barberry)

I think part of the reason my stuff is doing well, is because most were selected for conditions like this.
My yard is shady, and most of my plants only get afternoon sun.
I have heavy clay soil So things never really 'dry out' around here.
The ground and soil may feel dry. But if you dig down a foot, you hit moist clay. So my plants are used to having water available all the time
While we can have drought for a month. I still have to mow every week. And still don't have to water the roses or tomatoes.

[petalfuzz]

Here in NW ohio, our spring was super cold and wet but since it's been June it's been hot and dry again. I keep hoping for rain so I don't have to water--such a chore!!

I thought my hostas died last year in the drought but this year they are back and thriving. They look great, actually.

I haven't noticed any other differences but I'm not growing any salad crops this year cause I was too lazy to plant them in the early wet spring.

[rainbowgardener]

My salad crops have done great with this. Still eating lots of salad out of the garden. This time last year, it was all bolted.

Ironweed (notice all those plants with "weed" in the name!) is another one that is getting gigantic. It's probably about 10 feet tall now and hasn't flowered yet.

The huge old lilac in the front is doing well and the new young lilac in the back that was just a baby when we bought the house ten years ago, is growing like mad, outgrowing the space it's in -- so I guess lilacs like lots of rain also.

Lemon balm is taking over the yard, but I think it would probably do that in any weather...

Everything is looking lush and green and rainforesty and I've still only watered once this year, but it is tough on the sun lovers.

Incidentally, it is making me wonder about the usefulness of my rainbarrels. I have two rainbarrels, total 150 gallons. Last year, with zero rain for four months, they sat empty and did me no good. This year they are brimming full with water I have no need of... Hopefully some year we we will have reasonable conditions where I can actually use all that rain water!

[applestar]

Rainbowgardener - ship those full rainbarrels to me. My garden can use them.

Yesterday, I heard the lightening siren go off at the neighborhood athletic field and waited in anticipation for at least a *passing* thunder shower if not a full blast. I waited and waited but all I saw was slight darkening and soon the sun was back out again.

I checked the radar maps on the weather websites and they showed that a system the size of about 1/3 of state of NJ had come up from SW, shriveled up in the middle and split just before reaching my town , with the heaviest storm just skirting it, then REFORMED and REGROUPED beyond my town and on it went.

I tell ya, some kind of anti-rain dome ... it's the only possible explanation. To make matters worse, the storm had brought up the higher temp thermal mass with it (without cooling effect of the rain) It was hot last night and will be hotter still today -- and sunny

Rain, rain, come THIS way!

I could start listing things that grimly hang on in the face of drought.

p.s. Some of you have heard me say on several occasions that if I water the garden heavily, THEN it will usually not only rain but pour, so I HAVE to water the garden to get it to rain. Yesterday, DH said he was watching the same system coming up on the radar map at the office and was thinking I must have watered the garden. I told him that I DIDN'T water and that's why it didn't rain for us.

[tomf]

In Oregon we have had the 2nd wettest spring in the 117 years they have been keeping records. I have had a hard time keeping up with the mowing even.

Applestar do you have some thing around you that makes the rain go around you, some thing like hills or a river? Some times lots of paved over areas can create a hot spot that pushes rain away.

I read once that in a number of Midwest and eastern cities it rains more on week ends as industry puts particles in to the clouds all week and by the week end the clouds are seeded for rain.

[applestar]

Tom, there is a Boeing research facility with military contract a few towns over. Does that count?

[JONA878]

As an ex farmer I can assure you that whatever the weather...it is never right.
It's always either too wet, too dry,too hot or too cold.

Bet your life that the weather that is happening at any particular moment is the opposite to what you want, while it's just what some bloke down the road is loveing.

Ain't that just life ??

[tomf]

Yep your right; every one complains about the weather but no one ever does any thing about it.

Appelstar yes it must be us; I always feel sunnier when I come out of the Boeing plant I work at and head home.

[rainbowgardener]

Speaking of what likes it that we had day after day of rain for so long-- seedlings! I have never seen so many pokeweed seedlings in my life, literally hundreds of them in some flower beds. But also lots of tree seedlings, oak, maple, ash, walnut, not to mention the exotic invasive tree of heaven. I think it helps with the seeds germinating that it never dried out for a few months in there.

Also trumpet creeper seedlings. Those of you that have been reading my posts for awhile have heard about the gigantic trumpet creeper that keeps threatening to swallow our house. But I've always said it's huge, but not invasive, it stays put in that spot. NOT this season! This season I have trumpet creeper seedlings popping up all over the place. I moved a couple out of flower beds and planted them where they can't do damage. But now there's lots more popping up. I will have to watch out for them!