Drought and fall

The last 6 weeks have been remarkably dry for the Garden.  Before that, it was a nicely wet spring and normal early summer.

Thunderstorms that have helped ease late summer drought elsewhere in the Upstate have passed us by and the unusually high temperatures have resulted in parched-looking landscapes throughout our area. Towards the Blue Ridge Escarpment and the mountains, rainfall is much closer to normal, but here in the Piedmont, it's dry.

Needless to say, we're trying to balance responsible irrigation with a sustainable gardening ethic.

It's interesting to notice what plants are still looking good, too.  Take a look around your own landscape (if you're in an incipient drought region), and check it out.

There are a great number of plants that are still looking good, along with a lot of plants (both natives and non-natives) which aren't looking so great.