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| The Front Garden in July |
The front garden is mostly parched, as I have been watering the back and not the front. However, I did water it, today.
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| Looking Down the Sidewalk |
I've left the old osteospermum plants in place, but, they are mostly dead.
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| A Lot of Cleaning Up Needed |
The lantana plants are not flowering, but, they are still mostly green.
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| Parched by the Sun |
This plant (above), which had silver-grey foliage, indicating it is drought tolerant, has dropped most of its leaves. I still don't know what type of plant it is and neither does M, who gave it to me, but, M said it has blue flowers.
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| The Succulents in the Circle |
The succulents are, for the most part, doing very well. Except for the aeoniums, which get scorched, every year.
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Scorched Aeonium
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The stumpery doesn't care how hot or dry it gets.
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| The Stumpery |
The mixed border along the front of the house, with the pomegranate tree at one end and the climbing red rose at the other end, with a mixture of asparagus ferns, osteospermum, Peruvian lilies, and gladioli in between, remains green, for the most part. It looks untidy, but, the plants are doing well.
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| Mixed Border with Asparagus Ferns |
Another plant that is doing well in the summer heat is the rosemary bush. This is the one that is growing in the front garden, not the one with the twisted stems that is growing in the back garden.
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| Rosemary Bush |
That is the front garden at the end of July. A bit sad looking, I know, but, I've cut back on the watering to twice a week because I'm focusing on the fruits and vegetables in the back garden.
The Stumpery is coming along very nicely. I think your grey/silver plant is Russian Sage (blue/mauve flowers) & it is quite a hardy plant.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou. I have plans to add to that stumpery, in the fall. :) Thank you for helping to identify the grey/silver plant. If it is Russian Sage, I read that they are very hardy, once established.
DeleteIt's all part of the natural cycle. The plants will spring back in a few months to be the lush gardens we've seen before.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right, June; it is all part of the natural cycle. Some people have winter when their gardens are dormant; I have summer! LOL. Late winter and spring are when the front garden is at its peak. :) Succulents and native plants are the way to go with the front garden, I think.
DeleteYou did say you were cutting down on watering the front garden and I don't blame you for concentrating on your fruit and veg. You still have plenty of greenery in your front garden and your plants are doing well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen; yes, I've cut back to watering the front garden once or twice a week, depending on how high the temperatures are. The succulents and some of the more drought tolerant plants will keep the garden looking interesting, once the dead plants have been cleared and the place tidied up a bit. :)
DeleteHow sad that your lovely garden is suffering from the heat. It does make sense to cut back a little on watering, and concentrate on the fruits and vegetables in the back garden. The front garden will recover, but you wouldn't want to miss out on the food that you can freeze and process for the winter. Also there are those thirsty corn plants and the ears that are almost ready!
ReplyDeleteWe have had a few days without rain but apart from watering the planters, I haven't watered the rest, but I am hoping that the forecast of rain later today will not disappoint!
Thank you, Bushlady, but, yes, I need to focus on the more productive backyard, right now. I went over my lowest priced water allocation, last billing period, so, I need to cut back on my water consumption. The front garden will bear the brunt of it.
DeleteOh, I do hope you get the rain that is in the forecast! We have had no rain this month and there's no rain in the forecast for next month, either!
When I looked at that top photograph, the first thing that came to mind was how parched it looked. I imagine it would take an awful lot of watering, to keep on top of it, and if I remember rightly, I think you pay for your water.
ReplyDeleteThe mixed border and stumpery are looking good. Xx
Yes, it is parched! I do pay for my water and the rates depend on how much water I use. I'm allocated a certain amount at the lowest, Tier 1, rate. The next several hundred gallons are charged at a higher, Tier 2 rate. Anything above that is charged at the highest, Tier 3 rate. Last billing period, I went into the Tier 2 rate. I'm concentrating on the back garden where I have most of my fruit trees and the vegetables.
DeletePoor garden. I suppose you don't get much rain in the summer so it suffers. I hope you get some rain. I'd send some of ours your way if I could ha ha. We've had a lot of it. Fungus is popping up everywhere as it has been so hot and humid and wet.
ReplyDeleteYes, the front garden suffers from lack of water because I'm focusing on the back garden and the fruits and vegetables. Hot and humid and wet sounds miserable; I hope you are able to keep cool and dry.
DeleteYes, parched is the right word for the osteospermum for sure. The succulents seem happy and your mixed border is nice and green.
ReplyDeleteThe stumpery is the star! lol
The clean up has started - I had M pull out most of the dead osteospermum plants. He couldn't finish, but, we will continue to clean up over the next few weeks. The succulents are doing well and I am so glad that I planted those asparagus ferns in the mixed border - they stay green even during the hottest days of summer (their roots form little nodules where water is stored). The stumpery, of course, is the ultimate drought resistant landscape feature! LOL.
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