Time for that rain dance again!!

This year gardening has been almost a total disaster for me. My roses were annihilated by the Rose Chafers and the Jap Beetles are still chewing on them...even my daylilies bloomed poorly this year and some didn't bloom at all.
You know its bad when even the daylilies don't bloom! UGH!
We've had some rain over the last few weeks but not enough to make up for all the damage.
It hasn't been a total bust...my Oriental Lilies looked good this year as well as some of my other perennials and annuals but it has been quite depressing for me.

One nice discovery for anybody who is wanting to get a no fuss hydrangea for Z5 is H. 'Limelight' . I have bought several Hydrangeas over the last few years and most seem to be quite touchy, prone to wilt easily and/or be sparse bloomers but 'Limelight' has been doing very well despite the drought.
It was quite little last year when I got it but has tripled in size and is blooming really well.

This message was edited Aug 7, 2007 3:13 PM

CR- I'm putting Limelight on my must have list!! I planted 'forever and ever' last year and haven't had a bloom at all this year...very depressing! Even my 'endless' summer have been doing marginally this summer. I think the late freeze, no rain and blaring heat have taken the oomh out of many things. My gardens look like fall already

Nope, not a drop of rain. The last rain we got was just after the fourth of July. Even with hoses, I've lost a lot of my anuals and any perenials I planted this year, now we are loosing bushes and trees. I drove home from town today and you can realy notice the dead and dying trees. Everything is bleached brown and then you come to someplace that has good irrigation and you have a patch of green.

People's wells are going dry. That's scary.

Sarv
In addition to Limelight I also have E.S., Forever & Ever, Annabelle, Big Daddy (suppose to be drought resistant but isn't but blooming good its first year) and the new sport of E.S., Blushing Bride and Grandiflora Peniculata. The later is an old variety that does well but not that pretty. Granted all the rest are new for me but E.S. is 3 years old and not one blossom on it this year!
Limelight sure looks like its going to be a winner.

I have annabelle and it is covered with blossoms. Also have Nikko blue and it is ho hum this year.

My annabelle is spreading all over!! I think I will whack off a chunk and try it in a different area.

well it rained in plainwell for a couple more hours this morning. a nice soft rain goody.... i was happy only 30% chance tomorrow. your hydrangea is georgeous. (sp?) well okay ... very pretty. my old wood got frosted out this year on three of mine. but thanks to loon and all of her wonderful tips my oakleaf hydrangea was very pretty this year the flowers are starting to turn brown now. when is the best time to snip, snip???? not that i want to. i enjoyed that shrub so much this year. the flowers last and last. good luck to any one who hasnt gotten any rain yer hopefully soon. Ronna

I want to thank you all for doing the rain dance. We finally got a little rain this morning in AuGres. It wasn't a ton but I'll take it. We need lots more to turn the brown crunchy grass green again.

It looks like we all got a little to a lot of rain except up there in Williamsberg. I sure hope you get some rain soon. I'd really be crying if I started losing trees to drought. My property is in a flood zone/wetland area only a half mile from the lake so I'm guessing our water table is pretty high here. Maybe that is why the trees can make it. They don't have far to reach down for a drink. Of course, if the drought continues and we don't get much snow this winter ????

I've kept my veggie garden watered so at least we'll eat fresh veggies. I also have Annabelle hydrangea and she is covered in blooms in spite of the drought. My endless summer only has a few blooms. I think this winter I'll put a zone up bag on her and see if I can grow her a bit bigger with more bloossoms next year.

Keep that rain dance up will ya? I'd like more rain even if it makes it like soup with the humidity outside.

Brenda

I'm with you Loon we got only enough to make it like breathing under water but I'll take all we get and be thankful!!
Gloria

Oh My God! It RAINED! I got over an inch. The first raindrops to fall here since the second week of July. Nothing is green yet, but the grass no longer crunches when you walk over it.

I'm so glad you finally got some rain!!

We got rain too this morning. I had just watered my veggie garden for an hour when it started. :) I figured if I watered it would for sure rain!

I'm not sure how much we got but it was a decent rain and we'll take it. I hope we get some more soon. Every year I plant up all these containers all over the place and when we get a prolonged drought I curse myself for doing so when I have to fill up a ton of water jugs and drive my RTV around watering everybody. It gets old fast.

I may be wrong but last summer I think we had a lot more rain than we've had so far this year. I haven't got to ride my mower nearly as much as I like to ride it. The grass just doesn't grow. The weeds do though. :)

Keep dancing everybody. I want more rain. I hope Dori got some down there in Bay City.

hi I don't know about Dori but we got a good rain this morning so I got to think that they got some too there not all that far away but some times a mile is far enough to not get any I am praying for more but it doesen't look to good.
Gloria

The local news said that this area is in the worst drought inover 20 years. I believe it! There has been rain all around us (not much by some) untill today. I hope there is more out ther, but I'm afraid it's too late to save the corn and a friends sunflower fields aren't even setting seeds.

I think most of the state got rain. By afternoon the ground was dry again. But, I am sure it helped.

yeah its pretty dry around here again also. but the sky is looking pretty threatning. so i dont know keep your fingers crossed. Ronna

looks like that here now too my fingers hurt from being crossed good luck
Gloria

dry as dust here too....I'm almost tired of gardening...too much work this summer.

I planted 7 daylilys to day so I'm sooooo hoping for rain!! there watered in real good but if we don't get rain I will be watering a lot more than l have been

Gloria

well we actually got some rain for the last two morninds. it was pretty nice. now today its really nice out side a morning you can almost enjoy. i might even go do some moving today:) im going to work over my front yard.... Ronna

10 drops here yesterday. Not enough to even register on the rain gauge! I've about given up.

Ronna, I'm glad you got some much needed rain.

Not a drop here in AuGres.

I'm so tired of watering that I'm about ready to just let everything burn up. I'm having out of town company the last week of August so I'll try to keep everything going till after they're gone. I'm keeping my expensive trees watered and my veggie garden.

I just wish it would rain already.

Brenda

Loon are we doing the right dance??????? I'm begining to wonder?????
Gloria

im back to watering again!!!!!!!!!!!

Is the problem that I don't know how to dance? no rain here..

Maybe we're supposed to dance in our birthday suits or something and just scare the rain out of the sky :) :) Of course I think it best to do this after dark!!!

hay the neighborhood thinks I'm a little weird as it is that would get them going
Gloria

Feels more like frost than rain.

Im freezing already over here!! brrrr northwest wind!!

Seems good to be cool....after all that awful heat and humidity! I'm stripping wallpaper and the cool breeze made working half way decent.

IM FREEZING-got my jeans on-ugggggggg
Long sleeves too
we go to great wolf lodge this week-wish it was hotter for sure!!

Martha its not that cold!!!!!! What do you do in the winter???/
Gloria

plez dont call me martha-cant stand her!!! IM dori or NOT or NM-never martha-gag!
In the winter i bundle in layers and sit right on the heater vent looking at daylily catalogs!
i have been whining all day about the cold-had the heat on in my camaro

sorry Dori Love the Camaro My son used to sit on the heat vent a lot too when he was young I don't know if he still dose hes 44 but if he does then I think he has to share it with his wife!! I like cool not cold so this weather is just right! I'm not fond of Martha either LOL !!!!!
Glorai

I am loving this weather too. It was 35' yesterday morning. It looks like we are getting the rain we need, with more forcasted all week. Sorry to all that are on vacation. Take a sweatshirt and a raincoat for sure.

drizzling here

slow steady rain since yesterday- over 1.1 inch in the rain gauge. I'm huddled up in a chair with the heating pad on....it's freezing! I'm not ready for cold weather yet!!!

Got one and a half..inches so far...looks like more to come..for some days too. Well we all have to stop..dancing..now...well unless you live where there is not rain..we are never satified..I do not think...lol...Feel sorry for the neighbors..for sure..they have lots of company...I think our heat is on... 57 outside..brrrr....getting sweats out..will just hanker down..I guess...enjoy....

Smiles..Diana

I hate to say this....I'm freezing and want the warm weather back...

Me too.....I love summer...raining here still!!!Next week its back up to the 80's...

well boy oh boy did we ever and still are getting the rain!!!! i kinda glad its a little bit cooler. i love sweater weather.... but you know thats why we live in michigan right? it rained all night starting about 7pm on sat rained all night stiil raining right now and its almost 1 pm in the afternoon on the 19th. we may have to break out the mower soon. its been week and weeks since weve actually mowed. alright with me one less thing to worry about it kinda makes me want to dig up the yard and only have flowers and shrubs... i mean now we dont have a dog to worry about a potty spot. but i do hate to see summer come to an end of course. but its been kinda a bad summer around here any wat. what with the dog dying and the son joining the military and all. but life has its hills and valleys right? well see ya on the web im sure have a great sunday everyone... ronna

No rain here at all. My impaitents got a touch of frost, but with all the dry, there wasn't much left. It was cold this morning, now it's getting hot. We were thinking of going down to the Welcome to Traverse City sign and tacking up annother under it. "welcome to Traverse City.....Hope you brought warm clothes!"