Saturday, June 6, 2015

A garden is the place millions of people go to touch the earth, to smell flowers - to use some of that fabled human brainpower in the cause of better participating with natural processes in the place they call home. It serves as an art project, an organic produce market, a spiritual practice, a pharmacy. It offers ongoing lessons in ecology, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology. Gardening imparts an organic perspective on the passage of time. It bestows on its practitioners a genuine sense of admiration for the plants, the soil, the sun, the water. - Jim Nollman





Northern Illinois has been in some degree of drought for several years.  Of the last ten years, three have been severe droughts.  My garden is changing.  Except for new plants and transplants, I don't water.  I've lost some plants but most survive.  Empty spots are now being filled with prairie plants or drought tolerant plants.  Annuals in pots do get watered and tomatoes are pampered but the rest of the garden must adjust to a natural water supply.  These drought years have been very stressful for me, I worry about loosing trees and shrubs as well as garden perennials.  The garden looked dry and sear most summers.  Now I realize we all must adjust to the "new" weather patterns.  Some states, California to name the worst, are running out of water to drink.  Things might get much worse for all of us.  

Now comes the spring of 2015 which is bringing a much improved rain pattern.   It's been many years since  we've had a wetter or a cooler spring.     The garden and I love this weather.  The forecasters say we may have an  El Nino in the making to thank for this, so bless you little child and please come back often.











I have a lot of blue in my garden right now.  


A garden isn't meant to be useful.  It's for joy.-   Rumer Godden










 Replaced some Penstemon lost to  drought or a bitter cold winter.




Basket of annuals with a halo of sun behind.





Spent the day mulching, transplanting and potting annuals.  Took a break and sat during a brief moment of sunshine between the gathering storm clouds. I watch the birds.  Always busy moving, gathering, defending, building. Do you ever wonder if they are happy or just going about their lives on a pre-programed auto pilot.  We will never know if  they are enjoying the spring as much as we are. 





We've been blessed with more rain than usual this spring.  Beautiful storm clouds roll across the field  just north of the house.

8 comments:

Anita Johnson said...

We have noticed the same thing here in SE Wisconsin . Your flowers are just beautiful! And it is raining here this morning! Yippee!

BeadedTail said...

Glad you're getting more rain in your area this year! We had a dry year for Oregon standards so our water use is being adjusted too. Trouble is we just spent mega money on our new landscaping and we have to keep the new plants and arborvitae alive until they're established. Hope we get some rain soon too!

Garden Fancy said...

All your flowers are looking beautiful! I too have a "blue period" in my gardens when the blooming flowers are hardly any other color -- mine was about three weeks ago. And I love the quote by Rumer Godden: trust only a British person to understand what gardens are "for". Nice post! -Beth

RURAL said...

Your efforts to live with what nature is giving you should not go unacknowledged. And good on you for dealing with it by working with, and not against.

There are many who just ignore the changing climate, watering lawns in the heat of the day. There is a love affair with green grass going on here still. While we are not in the same straights as California, we do live in a area with limited water supplies...and must make our water do as well as it can.

Great post!

Jen

Lowcarb team member said...

Your flowers look so beautiful, the colours are lovely.

The weather over these past years no matter which part of the world you live does seem to have changed ... perhaps we too need to change more? Our perception of our planet and how we can better care for it.

... and of course as many gardeners do ... they change their planting patterns and choice to better suit an ever changing climate.

All the best Jan

troutbirder said...

Beautiful pictures and interesting comments, Marnie. It been a good spring here as well in Bluff Country. My battle with Oak Wilt continue though and so far were losing...:(

Indie said...

Love the last picture of the clouds over the field! It's been an awfully dry spring here, but we finally got some rain. Since we're putting in new garden beds, there's been a lot to water. After plants are established, I don't water them either. I don't know if the weather has always been this strange and I'm just noticing it more now that I'm a gardener, or global warming is really getting to us. There seems to always be something up with the weather lately!

Anonymous said...

I just love those blues. I have blue in my garden too and it just sings all season long.