My mother was very fond of old adages and rare was a conversation with her that she didn’t include one no matter what the topic might be. “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Waste not, want not” were two of her favorites. Another favorite was “Every cloud has a silver lining.” This is the one I was thinking about the other day when I was watering my garden.
No doubt this has been a strange weather year for the nation as a whole, but the Pacific Northwest is also experiencing some unusual weather patterns. Because of the low snowpack in the mountains and the virtually non-existent rainfall this spring and summer, the water levels are low in the rivers and streams. Normally when we get warm, dry weather in July and August we have enough in our reservoirs to give us a buffer. Not sure that is the case this year.
I do hate to water my garden, not because I don’t like the task, but because I don’t like using precious resources for my flower beds. If I had a vegetable garden, I wouldn’t feel quite so decadent watering that. But I feel rather guilty watering the hosta this summer because they aren’t a food source for anything but the slugs.
A few days ago, though, even the long-established trees, hosta and heuchera were looking strained so I got out the hose. I rationalized irrigating because I have put a lot of time and money into these plants and I hate to see them suffer. This is especially true for the hellebores which run between $15 and $25 each. Even after an hour of deep, soaking water, everything still look rather peaked. Once a week, I decided, was really not enough to suit them, so I will try to find the time to water more often. Perhaps watering one area of the garden one day and a different area the next, then waiting a couple of days to repeat the cycle will work for us all.
But now I come to the silver lining. There are several plants that enjoy the warm, dry, sunny weather and they are thriving. The Mediterranean plantings like lavender, sage, rosemary, and oregano have been doing better than I remember, as have the roses. But the plant I am happiest about is my hardy hibiscus.
I was intrigued a couple of years ago when my dear sister-in-law Lynn said she has a lovely hardy hibiscus that easily withstands a Pennsylvania winter. If she can do it in a Zone 5, I rationalized, I can have one in a Zone 9.
Hibiscus are lovely plants with very showy flowers. They prefer full sun and slightly acidic, moist but well-drained soil. But they do die back entirely in the winter unless you plant them in pots to bring inside. They come in all sorts of shapes from annuals and perennials to shrubs and small trees. Of course, I was taken with the hardy shrub type, which seems to be a staple in a lot of nurseries in Central Pennsylvania, but not so much in Oregon.
So I ordered one in August of 2023 from an online nursery as I couldn’t find any growing locally. The shipping wouldn’t be until the following spring, but I was willing to wait. When it came, I first planted it in the ground, but it didn’t seem thrilled there, so I placed it instead in a pot that I could overwinter in the summerhouse and not have to worry about it freezing. Along the lines of “first year sleeping, second year creeping, and third year leaping,” I was pleased to see the first sprouts in late May of this year. We are now in September, and the leaves are doing great but there are still no flower buds. Not known as a patient gardener, I am a bit disappointed as I was hoping for a flower of some sort. Not much of a silver lining, I admit. But I am determined to give this plant every chance to grow and thrive. In a few more weeks, toward the end of the month, I am going to find the sunniest spot I have and place it back in the ground. Even if I have to move something else.
My ‘Midnight Marvel’ Hibiscus has dark red foliage and - when it does finally bloom - it will have dark red flowers, too. It will be worth waiting for. I truly want this to work as it was an expensive plant, and I now have invested time and energy as well as money into its success.
But really, what price can you place on a silver lining?
I thank you for providing a bright spot in my day!!