When a gardeners cup is half full

I awoke this morning to a glorious sight. My eyes having not yet fully adjusted to the light, I peered out the bathroom window and saw something I haven't seen in a long while. Rain. And by the looks of it, it had been raining for a while, albeit lightly, steadily. As a gardener, we have ways to spot these sort of trivial things about which most average people never think twice.

The soil and mulch under the canopies of the bushes and the trees was wet as was the trunks of the trees. In a brief or sudden downpour, these things will give you clues as to the quality and quantity of natures watering. And boy did we need it. It has since stopped, although radar indicates we may get some more this afternoon.

In the last few years, we have ceased worrying about the grass, and concentrate on the plants we have so lovingly cultivated. Some need more water than others, so we concentrate on those. We make sure the Japanese maples get their fair share, as well as anything in pots. We use a soaker hose in a couple of areas, leaving it there during the summer so all we have to do is hook it up a couple of times a week. We coil them up and put them away during the winter.

We have planted a succulent area on an embankment near the road that was hard to water anyway, and it seems to like it there, if we can just keep people from driving over it. We have also tried to plant species that are like minded, meaning plants that love water, are planted in the same area, while others that are more drought tolerant are grouped together. It make watering a little easier. The operative word here is "try" as we do, but it doesn't always works out that way.

So we are in a typical Virginia summer, having some very hot temps and a lack of rain. We had a very wet spring, so I feel that has helped ease the severity of the drought, but it doesn't take long for the effects to show their ugly head. First, the grass over the septic tank goes dormant, showing its tan patch vividly amongst the deep green of the grass and lawn weeds. Second, the trees, in an effort to stay alive and stave off an early death, start to drop their leaves, turning yellow before the drop.

And of course we can't forget the wildlife. The birdbath is a hot spot and needs to be filled, sometimes two or three times a day. You know it is dry when you see insects drinking from the water sources, as most of the time they get their liquid sustenance in other forms.

Which brings me to the title of this post. While most people are grumbling about the wet weather, about what a pain it is to have to walk 50 feet from their car to the store fronts or getting their glasses wet, we gardeners are rejoicing. We have a spring in our step and see this as a beautiful day, knowing full well, the benefits will always outweigh the negatives. I see today, that my glass is half full.

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