My first post in my Green Fingers section is to do with (you guessed it) my garden!
To give you a little idea of our weather of late, it has been hot, hot and hot! WE have had no rain (and I am talking about really wet stuff that falls and waters the garden properly) for around 9 months, if longer. This is very unusual for our green island and this year has been an exception.
Most people I know (that don’t live here) have an envy streak about where I live and the fact that our climate is so much nicer that the climate I was once used to at home (UK). The island is known for its fairly even temperature all year round, never getting too cold in the winter, nor too hot in the summer. But this year has been a scorcher and the driest winter since I moved here. In 2010 it was the complete opposite, we had 3 months of non stop torrential rain that badly affected the island and in the February we had a major disaster with floods. People died during this force of nature as the rivers from the mountains swelled to an enormous size and the sheer volume of water that gave way when it couldn’t hold it back any longer was horrific.
But 2012 has gone the other way with a drought, which seems so weird, given that in the 13 years I have been here the weather system has behaved until now (for the last 2 years).
So, my garden has really suffered and I complained all through the winter that I had to still continue watering it, everyday, when usually I would get a reprieve. The bonus was that this spring I had very little weeding to do. I had to up the anti this summer and alas no amount of hosepipe water could save some of the plants I have lost from this excessively dry season. My lawn which has taken a few years to mature and grow enough to cover right into the corners has shrunk back again. The shaded area is alive and well, but the exposed parts are dry and lifeless.
My hosepipe is simply not a good substitute for real rain drops whatever setting I have my hose head on. The sun is so strong that whatever moisture is put into the ground is quickly zapped up in sunlight.
But for the last 2 days we have had a reprieve and it finally rained. Good old fashioned downpours, that soaked everything within minutes. More rain fell yesterday than we have had in a year. That’s great, I hear you think in line with my thought, but sadly it isn’t as today big black clouds have hung above us, but no rain fell, just a miserable feeling of gloom coupled with the added heavy air pressure and extra high humidity. Then a quick inspection of my garden this evening concluded that yesterday’s offering was not enough to satiate my thirsty plants and yep, I was back out there watering with the hose again!
This bout of rain hasn’t even made a dent. No new lime green grass shoots on my dead lawn, my pots are still wilting in the same manner they do everyday when its sunny and no new weed chutes to cull.
I am worried that we will have another dry winter and the effect it will have on our agriculture next year. But at least if it is, and I am out
watering the garden through this next winter my tan won’t fade!