Yesterday's rainfall amounted to 4/10ths of an inch in total, but it stayed cloudy, cooler and dampish all day, which was a blessed relief.Here's the Agriculture Canada drought map for southern Ontario again, now updated to Aug. 6. Red means record dry, and brown extremely dry. (We are in the record dry patch under where it says "Toronto" - close to the tip of Lake Ontario.)
We're now in the middle of a heat and humidity wave that looks like it won't break for another five days. After that, the 14-day forecast shows warm and dry to August 22.
I hate to go on and on about drought, but unfortunately this summer it is the issue that dominates my life. I haven't given up fighting back with the hoses. Sure, my garden beds are filled with mostly drought-tolerant perennials and ornamental grasses, but even those plants can't keep going (let alone look good) when it doesn't rain for months. But what's really heartbreaking is what this extreme dryness is doing to all the trees and shrubs that I just can't water.
The bottom line: I can't wait for winter and a good, long break from all this. What a cruel summer for plants and gardeners! Of course, the farmers have it much worse. At least we gardeners don't depend on rain for a living.
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We had some rain in Uppsala yesterday, and today is damp. I wish I could share some. Let's hope the drought ends in time to make a beatiful autumn at least.
ReplyDeletehere in SE Pennsylvania things are much better, precipitation wise at least. Talked at work today about a drought we had 9 years ago. It was the year before I started gardening at work and several years before I started gardening at home, since we rented. I think I can understand why you "go on and on" about your drought. May you be blessed with some more rain.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wayne. Until you live through a drought season like this one, you really don't know what it's like. It was pretty much like this in 1998, our first season at our little farm, but we didn't have any gardens or trees to worry about then. I did put some grass seed down that fall, and I remember very well that it didn't rain until December that year, and the grass seed didn't really germinate until about then. Now that same grass is a very brown lawn.
ReplyDeleteYvonne...I live in the North Bay area. According to that map we are doing well, but not in reality. I am still watering almost daily, and cautiously because we are on a well. The lawn is crispy brown, and even the weeds are drying and wilting.I can't imagine how dry you are, if we are the (relatively)"wet" area!
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