I woke up Wednesday morning to a slow and gentle rain; the kind that makes gardeners smile.
Water from Wednesday’s rain collected in my stock tank.
When it comes to July & August, Texas is a cooker. I feel fortunate I live in east Texas versus central Texas where I lived previously. On the whole, Central Texas has always been hotter and drier than east Texas. This year was no exception.
This summer, Central Texas experienced several over 100-degrees F (38 degrees Celsius) days, some of which were record breakers. In contrast, my little town has yet to break 100 F/38 C. We’ve also seen far more rain than Central Texas.
For most of July, I watered the in-ground plants every 4 days, and the potted plants get a daily drink. Watering everything can take a couple of hours, so I work to get it done in the early morning when it’s cool, and of course, any drops of rain are deeply appreciated at this time of year.
I water by hand using a garden hose. I’d love to know how you water. Is your water costly? Does your area suffer from droughts and if it does, do you do anything special at those times?
Water can be expensive in Texas depending upon where you live. There have been private corporations that purchased the water sources for small towns and subsequently increased the prices to outrageous levels.
That’s not happened here, thank goodness.
Apparently, our town wants to conduct a rate study for water and would like to install new water meters. Does this mean our water bills will rise? Maybe.
Related to the water meters, I came across this fake news article that made me chuckle. I thought you might find it funny too.
Newly planted (June) Globe Thistle, Echinops Ritro, in mulch.
Most of my in-ground plants are mulched with wood chips. Some may not need as much mulch once established.
From time to time, I read plant articles from other areas of the U.S. with a negative bent given to mulch. Yes, mulch can be ugly, but I believe it is almost essential for healthy plants in Texas. I’m guessing other areas of the U.S. get more water than Texas, and their hot temperatures aren’t as extreme and don’t last as long.
All of this post is to say, I think as gardeners it’s important to look at how much water we use and to find clever ways to reduce our water consumption or waste when possible. I do believe in climate change, and I think water will only become more valuable as time goes by.
Finally, unrelated to water, my Kolstad Inn neighbors gifted me all of their concrete stepping stones, which they plan to replace with flagstone. I was very happy to get them, and I believe I can use them all.
Above: Stepping stones from my neighbors at the Kolstad Inn.
Above: A few stepping stones put into place.
I’d love to add black Mexican beach pebbles around the stepping stones, but they don’t sell them here or in Tyler, TX, our closest big city. In fact, when I called a Tyler, TX gravel yard to inquire about them, the guy said, “No, we don’t have them. They cost too much.” Bummer!
Happy Blogging!
The Hairy Toe Gardener 