Indian Summer

As much as I hate the heat, I'll take hot days in September/October any day over hot days in June/July. Indian Summer is the typical Bay Area weather pattern, as Doug reminds me every year, so no surprise when it comes.

So how hot is it? The past 2 days got up to 93 - 95 in Hayward and Oakland - just in time for Stevie to start at his new school. And, of course, I've been going east each day after drop-off. It was 105 in Livermore at 1:30 on Wednesday; 101 in Pleasanton at 11:30 on Tuesday.

What's a gardener to do? Water! It's okay to put a little extra down and save your plants. Some just can't handle the stress. In our garden, the salvias are fine but the fuchsias and impatiens go limp in hot dry weather. Although I've been getting by this summer with watering twice a week, I'm watering everyday until the hot spell is over, especially the new plants my It's Fall! excitement put in the ground last week; the chamomile lawn started to look like cooked spinach on Tuesday. And of course anything in a pot will dry out faster than a plant in the ground.

Watering is one of those "things". Jo says you should never water after 10AM, but she's a rose lady and is always in battle against mold. With a busy work and family schedule, I have no qualms about watering in the evening on a hot day (sometimes any day); I accept the columbine tends to get moldy and nasty. My Mom's friend Arlene lives in Fairfield which is crazy hot all summer; she waters the balcony garden (all pots) twice a day.

So why the inconsistent posts of late? We just set up a new computer; it screams ^_^

ps - after emergency watering the back and side, I remembered a couple of other points. This spring, Jo was kind enough to take me on the East Bay MUD Bay-Friendly Garden Tour; we hit about 7 houses. It was fascinating! Especially as so many of the gardens we looked at could hardly be termed "water-wise".

However, one house really stood out in terms of excellent plant selection and...harmonious design. It just looked lovely (yes, lots of salvias). After complimenting the owner on a marvelous garden, I asked how she managed watering, and was delighted to confirm the entire property was hand watered; I've been mildly embarrassed that irrigation is the last priority on our list.

This was their second garden. The first time around, they layed irrigation, planted, and a year later discovered things didn't grow exactly as expected and ended up re-doing a major portion of the system. Having learned that lesson, they were giving this garden 2 years and then put in the lines. (They water once a week.)

I have an ancient sprinkler system in the front and hand-water the back and side. Frankly, I like to hand water: it's relaxing, I can hose down the plants eliminating dirt and bugs, gives me a chance to get in touch with what's happening with individual plants and whether communities are working, meditate on blog entries, etc. The water is directed exactly where I need it without waste.

I would hand-water the front, but the spigot is currently buried in a mound of Mexican Bush Sage. That's going to change!