 |
| The GOOD: Our Front Yard: (10/3/16) |
My sweet hubby posted the picture above recently on Facebook. By the looks of this picture, one would never know that we were in a HORRIBLE DROUGHT here... You know that I have mentioned it MANY times since June... For 'yard workers' like us (who love our flower, shrubs, plants, etc), this has been hard... It has even been harder due to the unusually HOT summer temperatures we have had...Also, financially, it has about killed us--with very high water bills the past couple of months... AND--there's no end in sight for us since we are now in the 'dry season'.... BUT --we have tried to save as much as we could afford.
We are watering what we can (and our front yard truly isn't bad at all)... George keeps the roses watered --so they are fine. The front yard grass and plants are okay since they do get some water. The biggest problems are the BIG shade trees, shrubs --such as our Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Forsythia, and grass--everything except the front yard.... Even the English Ivy (which usually does fine in dry conditions) is struggling in sunny areas of our yard. AND---if you want to laugh, even the WEEDS (which usually thrive in ALL conditions) are struggling!!!! ha
But---it's not all DOOM and GLOOM... There's a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful today that the weather is now a little cooler --which helps tremendously... AND--I'm thankful that we DO have the extra money to water the yard as much as possible... I'm thankful that we are not in a hurricane zone --since I feel so sorry for people who lost lives and whose property was damaged due to another Mother Nature situation...Prayers for all of them.... After seeing what has happened on the East Coast, I have no right to be complaining about this! I tell myself this over and over.
Today---I put together a post so that you could see our yard in October... Hope you enjoy the pictures.... Click on them for enlargements.
 |
| The Not-So-BAD: We do have a little color on some of the trees... Hope we get lots more color --and have a pretty FALL here. (10/7/16) |
 |
| The UGLY: Our sweet little Forsythia Bush (even though we do water it some) is really struggling. We bought that bush about 4 years ago when it was tiny. It grew and this past spring, it bloomed and was so happy. NOT sure of its future... Sniff Sniff.. (10/9/16) |
 |
| The GOOD: Cantana IRIS (10/3/16); We love having our Re-blooming Irises bloom in the Fall. We don't have too many so far this Fall --but what we have are pretty. |
 |
| The Not-So-BAD: The workers at the Golf Course behind our home are having to work very very hard to keep the fairways and greens in good shape this year. I'm sure they have spent money above what is in their budget just to keep the course in good shape. BUT---they have done a great job! (10/7/16) |
 |
| The UGLY: This is our lower side yard.... The Periwinkle has done okay through the drought, but the GRASS has not. Hopefully, the grass will come back when the rains come back!!!! (10/7/16) |
 |
| The GOOD: ALL of our Beautiful ROSES; This one is St. Patrick's Day... SO pretty!!!! (10/3/16) |
 |
| The Not-So-BAD: Our pretty VINCA; George built me a small flowerbed in front of the big Rose Bed--and the Vinca (and our Pansies in Spring) have enjoyed this area. (10/2/16) |
 |
| The UGLY: Our poor little AZALEAS; We have 4 Azaleas in the backyard which may not make it.. We also have 3 Rhododendrons --which we are trying hard to save.. Believe it or not, but this Azalea is getting watered... It just needs DEEP water ---which only comes from lots of RAIN. (10/7/16) |
 |
| The GOOD: A new Iris in our yard this year --and it has bloomed a lot this FALL. Its name is "My Friend Jonathan"... (10/3/16) |
 |
| The Not-So-BAD: Our Autumn Joy SEDUM has been GREAT for several months. It started out almost white in color, then changed pink, and is now a rusty/red.... (10/2/16) |
 |
| The UGLY: Our beautiful back yard!!!!!! YIPES... (10/7/16) |
WELL Friends---that is enough. You get the idea!!!! None of the "Not-so-Bad" pictures are bad at all... In fact, they could be in the GOOD category... SO---out of the 12 pictures, only 4 are what I'd call BAD... Again I say that we do have so much to be thankful for... Weather is something we all have to contend with sometimes... (Remember the horrible Ice Storm we had here a couple of years ago????? Yipes).... This too shall pass!!!!!
Blessings to all of you.
Hugs,
Well Betsy the good is looking very good, the not so good is struggling but will probably make it with Georges watering and the Ulgy is awful to see but that grass WILL come back when it rains and the WEEDS!
ReplyDeleteObviously, things aren’t pretty bad there, but I don’t remember seeing dry grasses in your yard rather either green or snow covered. I could understand the unusually over there... but still it’s not so bad when looking into your front yard and bloomed roses and iris. Hope it turns pretty cooler and the environment transforms into colorful soon.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos!
You are so right about being thankful for what we do have. Looking at how the people in Haiti are now suffering after the hurricane and the terrible loss of life there we can only count our blessings.
ReplyDeleteYour hard work is paying off at keeping the bad to a minimum. The grass should come back once you get the rain and the forsythia (at least mine) are pretty hardy and hard to kill.
ReplyDeleteNot bad considering and the grass should come back. Everyone around here is dealing with sod worms.
ReplyDeleteYour 'good' looks pretty. The rest doesn't look too bad. May your drought conditions soon end.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to all those who were hurt in so many ways by hurricane Matthew. But for the grace of God the storm could have hit right here, but didn't. For that I have much to be thankful for. My husband and I went through three really horrible hurricanes in 2004-2005. This was my first hurricane without him.
Happy Fall with all of the beauty you still have surrounding you.
FlowerLady
Beautiful colours and reflection in your header. Grass will definitely grow back together with the weeds. Love the good and not so good photos. Don't worry about the ugly, it will pass one day. Thankful for what we have and we will remember those who do not have. Your rose is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAlthough we were well out of the Hurricane's way, we were hoping to get some rain along with the winds... It just wasn't meant to be, I think we barely got over a tenth of an inch! Maybe we'll get a few autumn drenchers - one can hope, can't they?
ReplyDeleteIt is really hard to watch living things die even when you try hard to care for them. Maybe some of the hurricane's rain would have helped your area.
ReplyDeleteOh, so sad to see the trauma your yard has suffered this summer. We had a very dry June and July. I don't think we mowed at all during those two months. But the rain began again in August, and we've been mowing about every four days. It's very green here now, and some fall color is beginning to pop in the trees.
ReplyDeleteYour roses are amazing! I hate to see things dying also. My hydrangeas burnt up this year and that makes me very sad. The cooler weather is definitely giving some relief.
ReplyDeleteGood that not all is lost and some things are doing well. It would be nice if the golf course water would run over on your yard. We are lucky to have a sprinkle system that draws from the lake so we only need pay for the electricity to pump it.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying. We had 107 heat several days. My water bill shot way up, but felt it was cheaper to pay it than put in a new yard.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful that we have as much 'good' as we do. I'm not sure when the rains will return, but hopefully things will look much better once they do.
ReplyDeleteWe had a ton of rain here from remnants of the hurricane. I hope you all get the rain you need soon!
ReplyDeleteI sure wish I could send you some of our rain. We have had an over-abundance of it this Fall along with high humidity. I can't even rake leaves until late in the day because the humidity keeps them wet. I pray your yard recovers next year and the weather returns to normal. At least a lot of your flowers haven't dried up. I'm sure things will get better.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell how hard you and George have worked to keep your yard alive. And you're right. We do have to remember the things to be thankful for. Blessings, Betsy
ReplyDeleteThings are really bad when the weeds are dying!! We have not been in a drought, even though you and I are not that far apart. My faves today are the glorious iris, and the rose. The sedum is also so pretty against the green.
ReplyDeleteThe drought has been tough for many this year. At least you still have some flowers and plants that are doing well. Your roses are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYikes, some of your plants are really suffering. What a struggle this year must have been for you. Was delighted to see how well the Vinca are doing. One of my favorite plants and mine are also thriving. Too bad you couldn't have gotten a little rain from Matthew.
ReplyDeleteThe bad ones looks bad but am sure they will come back to life once the rain comes. The good pictures are really good :) Here the fall has arrived and the leaves are changing colours and the air is cooler.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week
The pictures sure tell a story. The trees and flowers are so pretty and as far as the Irises go, I've never heard of a rebloomer. I have Irises which only bloom in the spring, I would love some rebloomers. Grass is hard to kill, it will come back. The yellow rose is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week!!
Saimi
It is so true we do have so many things to be grateful for ...
ReplyDeleteI'm sure plants and trees will come back when you have some rain, which I hope you will soon!
Your roses are beautiful and your vinca and the sedum too, in fact I almost forgot the iris (what a lovely name it has).
Wishing you a good week ahead.
All the best Jan
Betsy I feel sad when I see your yard, looking so dry.I know how much you and George love your gardens.I do hope that the plants will survive until the rains come. Wish I could share some of our moisture with you.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah Betsy!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the climate change are everywhere on the planet and we are suffering the consequences of it. Here in Brazil we have increasingly hot summers and dry winters, the other seasons are very soft and almost imperceptible to us.
By the way I do not see anything ugly in your garden cause you strive enough to keep it as beautiful as well!
Have a nice week, hugs
Bia <ยบ(((<
Everything starts to struggle at the end of summer anyway but it's hard when it's been so dry. We've stayed green this year with just enough rain. And we got wind from the hurricane but hardly any rain...which was odd. Had a bit of a cool down today which was nice. Enjoy your week! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you and your garden: good, bad and ugly.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had that bad a drought. But your flowers still look beautiful! I've never seen fall-blooming Iris here.
ReplyDeleteOh it has been dry here too, going on a couple of weeks I think. Any rain coming seems to dissipate.
ReplyDeleteBetsy, It's been really dry down here in Loudon County too... We've been watering about 4 times a week and we've had to use our probe power soaker to save our oak leaf hydrangas and one of our Japanese Maples. We've also had to drench a couple of red buds and the lime light hydrangas in the front yard. The cool weather is great! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteOh my word! Your poor back yard. I didn't realize you were having such a bad drought. I hope everything survives. You just never know what the weather will be like one season to the next. I'm already wondering what kind of winter we'll have because everyone is saying the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a really bad winter. Hope that's wrong!!
ReplyDeleteTake care and have a nice week!
The title of the blog post had me curious. Scrolled down to see the "ugly"
ReplyDeleteI had something similar happened in my garden too. Not sure why it happen . am guessing root rot
I love the yellow rose! The grass will come back. You are right, it could be worse.
ReplyDeleteYou have lots of good and of course you know that. Out here when we have a drought like last summer in the cities there are water restrictions---no water or every other day---you get the idea. We are on a deep well but we have to stop using it so at least we can flush the toilet etc. We can go to the river and pump water in out large (50gal.) containers and then pump it out on our flowers and veggies---our lawns stay green mainly because---I don't know why. LOL
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Life!!
MB
It's good to appreciate the beautiful things in life - like your garden.
ReplyDeleteToo much water or not enough, always the way. During our summer the grass usually turns brown but we have had enough rain this summer to prevent that happening. That first picture certainly shows how much love you and George put into your garden. It's gorgeous! With the return of Fall I hope you get some liquid sunshine very soon :)
ReplyDeleteHowdy there Betsy--so glad to see you had stopped in, and thanks so much for your kind words and for checking on us. And for the prayers! we got home safely. We have power here and I am so thankful for that. Love your pretty pictures of your iris. So awful you had drought.....too bad we cant send some of the bad flooding waters to your area to help with that...isnt' it weird how one part can be so dry and others literally flooding with water? Hope everybody your way is doing okay and that y'all have a real nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteI know you both have worked so hard but your flowers sure look better than mine. My husband has been carrying water from our little creek at the back of the house trying to keep ours alive. It's scary to look at everything. The creek is about gone. I sure hope we get rain soon. Blessings and Love.
ReplyDeleteYou know you have a problem when the weeds won't grow. The grass will return with the rain. This happens to us nearly every winter/dry season. I hope you get rain soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad when you have such a gorgeous yard and drought conditions come to stay! The watering is hard, as well as expensive, but you can't let your pretty garden gems die! Still, it's a battle! Lovely photos! Hope you do get some rain soon! I'm sorry I have been absent so much! It's going to be difficult to stay on top of my computer stuff for the next couple of months for sure!
ReplyDeleteHi Betsy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and thank you for the words of comfort. I can hardly understand what God has planned for my future at this time I can only hang on to family and pray for everything to get better.
I love how you structured this post. This was such fun. Your good is definitely gorgeous. The Ugly?.... ummmm.... ah well.
ReplyDelete