Almost feel blasphemus saying such a thing, most especially when much of the country is still suffering from drought. Rain is indeed a blessing and I can always replant. What are you doing for your flowering plants, if anything? Of course the tropicals are thriving but being in the middle of north central Texas those are in the minority in my garden mix. Have already cut down the hollyhocks because they were overcome with rust. I depend on them reseeding but read on another thread not to save the seed because it is damaged. Wondering if anything needs to be fed and if so, what? Double question: what plants would need a boost and what should be used to boost it? Very few blooms because of lack of sun. When it is usually 100+ and dry at this time of year everything has already gone dormant anyway. Goodness gracious. What would it take to please me!
too much rain
I researched and planted only "heat/drought" tolerant plants this spring. I guess I should have been planting "cloudy/rainy" tolerant plants! I lost a few salvias, a butterfly bush, and a hollyhock because that area of my flowerbed simply didn't drain fast enough for their liking (although other plants in the same area came through just fine). It's just a waiting game, I guess, as we know that the heat is coming. And this rain, a blessing indeed, won't last forever.
It could be a bumpy few days here, though. They're forecasting the possibility of 5" in some areas.
Carla
Guess that is my problem. Trying to do "the right thing" and it just backfired a little. Have no fear. This climate change is not for good, as you say probably scorching heat next.
It's frustrating because I finally found a tomato variety that I really like and they are hardly even blooming because there's not enough sun. GRRR.
I've lost practically everything from last year and most from this year. Salvias, coreopsis, daisies, hollyhocks, scabiosa, allisum, gladiolas all of them. I re rebuilt my front beds with topsoil/potting soil (cheaper than garden soil at Wally World) 3-1 mix. Made the back higher than front. Got it done just before rain started again Sunday. It let us know where we needed to fill in. I have a ton of things on the front porch waiting to be planted, some of it is dying in the wait. I haven't planted my brugs out yet because it's just been too wet to get out there. But they and the hibiscus, datura and my iris, and tuberose are happy campers. The dwarf cannas that I have planted are ok, tho the yellow ones look sad. Ice plants are happy campers, petunias in containers are happy as well and the blue daze that I have planted in containers with the Hibiscus are ok. Morning Glories are about to take over my arbor, but the roses are just pretty much sitting there with little to no growth. But at least they're alive.
I guess getting the bed slanted for run off has been my best idea. Just waiting for a few hours without rain to plant and see if it was a good idea.
Anne
P.S. to whoever I met at the RU in College Station. The brazilian plume, Turks cap didn't make it either. But I did find some variegated turks cap at a nursery in Conroe and am waiting for opportunity to plant them.
I for one am NOT going to turn down a good thing (rain) after the bad drought we had last year and in 2005. It's great to have tall green grass in our pastures, but my garden is the pits. I can't have it both ways. I'm also learning that Mother Nature is going to throw me a curve when I least expect it. I wonder if there are plants that will survive the extremes — flood or drought.
It's Texas. 'nuff said.
I love rain as much as anyone here, but it's been 3 weeks and next week looks like it'll be wet too. Flooded crops don't do much better than parched ones. Enough already....I need some sun! I feel like I live in a rainforest now. And our neighbors up north are who really need it....I wish some of it would go their way.
:) Kim
I've got mushrooms growing underneath all my plants from all the wet, warm and dim!
I've seen at least 4 different kinds so far.
Just read news on-line about the flooding all around the Hill Country. Silverflutter, hope you are not in harms way. 8" in a very short time in Georgetown. Small boy drowned in Garland last night when he slipped from the ropes the rescuers had put around him. Plants are insignificant in light of loss of life and homes.
I've been grabbing the mower every time there is a break in the rain. So far it's been reasonable here in New Braunfels - regular rain but not heavy downpour and there have been breaks between rains to allow for recovery. Counting my blessings. Hope this week it continues this way.
Veggie...I did same. Mowed yesterday about 8:00 before the rains came again! I called a friend in Marble Falls (I think they got 18 inches of rain last night!!!) and she's marooned on her "island" of a neighborhood. They're building a new home somewhere and can't get out to see how it's doing.
I have a question...I'm going on vacation on Saturday and will be gone a week. With all this rain, do you think I can leave the sprinkler system off? I do have new plants that might need a sprinkle.... (I just got the system last summer and don't know how to re-program it..and it does NOT have a rain sensor...they got to us bc the control box LOOKS as if it's there, but the setting is non-functional. Poo...)
BF lives in Copperas Cove his house has flooded 3 times.
anne,
I have some turks cap pups if you need them.
Rain rain rain.... All the springs on my land are running... 1/2 the plants that didn't die either during the ice storm or the spring below 30 chill are dying now.. I have weeds as tall as I am!
I would love them but until or unless this rain stops I don't have a place to put them. By the time the rain stops long enough for me to plant what's left of the plants that I bought to re replace the dead ones I may have room but won't know till then. Very frustrated right now. Plus my elderly father, who has alzheimer, continually gripes at me because I have so many plants on the porch. So I have to keep explaining to him why they are there and not in the ground. As the rain falls, and it's thundering now.
no problem.... I have plenty though so would be happy to send you some v/s you buying
I live pretty near where that boy died in Duck Creek (Garland). We got 3" yesterday (1.5" of which came down very fast early in the evening). And another 3" fell very quickly this morning. My yard couldn't drain fast enough and some of it came under my patio window. Luckily only one corner of my carpet got wet. Not so for my neighbors at the end of the street, who got flooded this AM when the storm drains backed up.
And now it's raining again. From severe drought to flooding. I guess it really is a case of "be careful what you wish for."
Carla
We were supposed to have our deck built this week, but the rain has messed up the delivery of the material for the builder. Maybe they'll get it straightened out today and he can start tomorrow....if it doesn't rain!
Aunt Anne, I think the Brazilian plumes came from me and I still have some. In fact they are fixing to bloom. I think the only plants I'm having trouble with is coreopsis and roses. It rains so often that I haven't had a chance to spray any milk/water stuff for black spot, so the most of the roses are pretty stressed. My crinums are going to town though. BTW if anybody is looking for a black spot resistant rose, try New Dawn. I think it's going to double in size this year, probably because of the Epsom salts I gave it. It was already pretty big.
Blue Eyes, so far we have no damage other than pecan branches everywhere. I never want another pecan tree! We are very close to a creek, but we are probably 20 to 30 feet uphill from it and I don't have to cross it to get to town or work. That last flood we had a few weeks ago I think washed away alot of the bank on our side. I'm kind of curious if the guy the lives right next to the creek is worried.
The news tonight is devastating. We pray for those who have lost everything. God bless them.
I just barely got out of town from DFW airport Tuesday evening to visit Michigan inlaws. I've been watching the Texas radar off and on today.
Wishing everyone safety and dry homes,
Richard
Silver
I just mentioned by way of saying how many I'd lost. I've forgotten what all I've planted by this point. If we have another round up here next year I may hit you up for another but not going to chance much else for now. I did build a planter that I'm going to keep on the porch but only going to put into the ground those that I've already bought for that. I'm afraid that anything else will just drown.
Me
Bettydee,
I know just how you feel about not turning down rain. The drought was really tough on us too. We have 400 acres of hay that is begging to be cut but no way just yet. It will take forever for the fields to dry up enough to get the tractors in the field. Two fields have water standing in them from the creek getting out numerous times. We usually try to get hay cut the week of the 4th but not this time.
I hope you all stay safe and dry.
Kim
bloomlover, where is I, Tx?
Being a NATIVE Texas, I can think of several points you could be.
It is Texas & the weather is either feast or famine!!! One yr feast & the next famine! But it is home & we love it!!!
Come flood or drought! Right?
She is in Italy.
This is nearly like a few years ago where we got 32" in 4 days and couldn't get out of the subdivision on July 3-5th.
More and more people being hurt by this rain. Heard something outside this morning and it was the guys that mow and edge my yard. When they got here it was not raining. Before they could finish it was coming a frog strangler. They said they came because they HAVE TO WORK. Week after week and they cannot get paid. Nothing to buy groceries or pay the rent. My little dogs have a better life than many human beings. Just checked the rain gauge again. 1/2" in 30 minutes.
Construction industry and all those that cater to them ie lumber companies, et al hurting too I'd guess.
I have an underground stream that runs thru my property, and it empties right at the street! It's rained so much that there's a constant "lake" there...and it's starting to look bubbly and slimy! Yuk....need to clear that, but how?
Goodness gracious! I feel so bad for all y'all. Guess I should stop complaining about our drought.....after all, no reason we can't get out there with the hose more often than is customary. I will pray that all your rain moves up this way.
Big hug for my soggy fellow DGers in Texas
carol
Thanks, kids. Welcome to the Texas side of DG.
AuntAnne, I haven't heard much about flooding in CS on the news. I haven't heard much about Austiin. I guess I haven't found the right station to listen to. I'm sorry you've lost so much. Do you have flooding in CS also?
We had a delivery from a business in SA and the guy said it was raining really hard in Boerne when he went passed there on I10. He was kind of dreading the trip home. Usually he delivers to Marble Falls also, but not today.
Does anybody know if any DGer's have been flooded out?
I've gotten really wet but we set up enough that it takes more than this to completely food us out.
Smockette,
I meant to put Irene but some how or other it ended up being just I. We aren't too far from Italy, only about 15 miles or so. We are right in the path of where the Trans Texas Corridor was suppose to be.
We have only had an inch or so of rain so far today. I just hope the gnat doesn't sneeze or the creek will be out again.
Stay safe everyone.
hi bloomlover, we used to live in Italy for a time and tried to buy several homes in the area but none worked out.
We are swiming here... I had sunflowers wash out today so that is it... why do the weeds stay and the good plants wash out?
It has just now started raining. We were coming back from Temple when we hit it in Caldwell. We ran through it but it followed us. I actually got some things planted this morning. Re planted the scabiosa and a butterfly plant that I'd dug up for the bed raising. I planted some bulbine and what had thus far survived on the porch. Now we'll see what it does in the bed. I don't think we'll get a lot out of this today it seemed to be moving kinda fast. Very dark and ugly looking though. Can't say we've had flooding, except of course the usual low lying areas. But the Brazos river is very full and I expect that the Navasota is prob. at or near full. I feel for the ranchers in those areas. I'm planting the v. turks cap tomorrow and the vitex trees and the confederate rose hibiscus in the morning. If they don't make it, I give up for the year. I made an iris bed and have some siberians in it and am waiting on some tb iris that I got in a coop. That should be ok. Oh well it's just the way that it is for us. My containers are doing well and the morning glories are happy so it's not a total loss here. We're alive and healthy and there's always next year.
Me
Just came over to check on our TX friends. Hope you all come out of this week OK, as it looks like more rain for the next few days.
Mother Nature - sometimes she's very, very good and sometimes she's not. :-(
Keep your powder dry,
Kathleen
Texas has always gone from one weather extreme to another. Unfortunately, we contribute to our own demise. The USGS has maps showing 100, 200 and 500 year flood plains, but few people use them when chosing a building site. We buy and build our homes within flood plains. Then continue to return to the same location over and over again. Low water crossings are very dangerous, but many continue to ignore the danger.
Thanks for that reminder, Kathleen. Keep you powder dry. Hadn't heard that in a long time.:)
Someone just said on the car radio on my way home that Texas has homes in the 500 year flood plain that get flooded every 5 years.... ???
My husband said at the first of spring that the old timers say " A flood is the only thing that will bust a drought".....seems that rings true. All of the lakes in N Tx are overflowing now where a lot had dry boat docks last year. Since they are overflowing there is no where for the water to go.
Connie, sad about how the contractor left your sprinkler system. Can't say for sure, but I would think after all this rain, you probably wouldn't loose plants if you didn't water for a week. I think I have lost more this year due to too much water. I can't remember the last time we had to run the sprinkler system. Oh, btw you can purchase the controls for most systems at Lowe's or HD and they should be able to tell you how to hook them up too. Take a picture of what you have into the store. Maybe you can check BBB for a company to fix it for you if you don't want to tackle it.