Needed Rain

When I lived in the tropical desert the water came on automatically. There was never any need to worry about it until the water bill came. Now that I live in the rain forest and the land of the monsoon, the timing of rainfall can be critical.

Last week I was planting baby rhododendron in a new wild cultivated garden. It is important that they get watered during their settling in phase. In this particular situation free water from the sky is a near must. I was happy that it started raining today right as I finished planting at another garden entirely. Tonight three new landscape plantings I have done in the last two weeks are getting free water from the sky. That is the best kind. Sometimes home owner hand watering of new plantings can be a bit sketchy. Many can use the assist.

One day the baby rhododendrons in the new wild cultivated garden could be as big as these.



The columbine are enjoying the cool rinse. The rains have been very well spaced and coming in good amounts. The soil is moist when I dig dozens and dozens of holes. Things are just right. After such a long snowy winter, several sunny days in a row with nothing falling out of it somehow seems odd. And so many new plantings makes me more anxious.



Once the new plants are established there is little need to worry unless it gets extreme.



And by extreme I mean really extreme. Compared to 320 days a year of clear blue skies with light trade winds between 15 and 25 mph, highs in the mid 80's and lows in the low 70's, everything I have witnessed here from droughts, to hurricanes, blizzards and monsoons, thunderstorms, hail, and regular gale force winds, how much more extreme could it get?

All the new plants want is some consistent water for the first couple of months and a little extra if needed.