How is everyone with the storms?

[boops]

Got hit last night with horrible wind and torrential rains. Took down a lot of taller plants (not hosta) that weren't tied up. Even daylilies got laid down. Monarda, tall phlox, glads and a bunch of others. Yet didn't break the humidity. Hundred degree temps forecasted for the whole week.

[guardbear]

Sorry to hear of the damage to your summer flowering plants. Not fun, and hard on the eye when you'd like to be enjoying the garden. But, I'd gladly give up my taller perennials for any kind of decent, sustained rainfall, storm or otherwise. All of Indiana is under SEVERE or EXTREME (NWS second highest official category) drought conditions. I'm in the 'extreme' zone. Soil moisture as of last Saturday was between 1/8 and 3/8 of an inch throughout Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, etc. (up to 1/2 inch in certain counties in come states). The countryside is burned to a crisp, --- grasslands, alfalfa, clover, (all that critter food) etc., there are warning signs in parks and cemetaries to not park under trees because of limbs breaking off. My trees are losing leaves like it's October, and with any little wind, I have large "living" limbs come down also. Creeks are non-existant. Farmers are in deep doo-doo unless they have crop insurance this year. And the long range forecast through Sept. 30 and that it will continue the same or worsen. And the temperatures are horrendous, 42 days continuous of over 90 degrees, then one day at 89, and now we're back in the over 90 again with 100s forecast this week. Just terrible conditions.

This is the 3rd year of very low moisture and higher than normal temps, and if weather patterns hold true it probably won't be the last as droughts typically come in cycles of 5-7 years. While I hope not, my hosta budget is looking busted in order to pay the water bill.

Linda

[Linda P]

boops, sorry to hear about your wind damage. I, too, would take it, just to get some rain. I went to the Midwest hosta convention over the weekend,
and as we drove through the country, it did get greener as we got into southern Minnestoa, though it was obvious that they were in need of rain also.
There was some rainfail while we were there, and I was hoping that it might have rained here in NW Illinois as well. DH said we got .2" over the weekend.
Grateful for that much, but it looks like that's all we'll have for a good long while, and temps back to the 100's again this week. We had a few days in the upper
80's and it was lovely. Now back to the pressure cooker for us. Crops just to the north of me are looking pretty much gone. We, like guardbear, are seeing
trees dump their leaves, and plants are going dormant. We're on the edge of the severe drought area here, and were only saved by a rainfall about 2 weeks ago of
over an inch. The scope of this drought is going to impact everyone in the pocket before long. Farmers will be hit first and hard, and then it will pass down the line
until you walk out of the grocery store with less cash in your pocket.
Here's a link to the latest drought condition update. I can't recall ever seeing anything this widespread, this severe, in my lifetime.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

[boops]

Oh I am so sorry for complaining about some perennials-you poor people. Thats awful, I didn't realize how bad the drought was around your parts. We are also going up to the 100's this week. crossing fingers for you guys for some rain.

[Chris_W]

Nothing to be sorry about. While I really get excited when there is a chance of storms, for the rain, I also get nervous about possible damage. Nothing bad here, just more of the same heat and dry...

[boops]

With you owning a place that sells plants-you must be exhausted for having to water all of them so much during this drought time. Hope you get some rain too. I was outside at 6am with my garden shears cutting down the damaged stuff, staking the fallen ones and putting a circular stake hoop around my huge ornamental grasses which was laying all over the place and picking up fallen branches out of my gardens. Thankfully the veggie garden survived the wind, I had two tomato stakes around each plant. Prayers to all!

[Bob Scott]

Still waiting for one!

[boops]

Another one forecasted for tomorrow night. staking all tall plants today.

[thy]

Sorry to hear about your plants Boops and so very sorry I can not send some rain to the farmers in the States.
Here the lack of water in a lot of US states is in the news... our farmers are smiling and expect high prices, they have started the harvest now just before full ripe to be sure they get the seeds
Heck wish I could send you next weeks rain.. around an inch in return for some warmer temps.
Went to the beach today for a cool off, this week have been the summer in Denmark and I looked weird, my skin was tanned from our Croatian holliday, 90% or more people were white like mid winther.

If I ever complain about drought like I did this spring and wanting rain... just tell me to set up the sprinkler and stop complaining.. ..
This week is the first week in 2 years with summer temps and no rain.

Then my hostas still suffer from the drought in the spring

Pia... STOP complaining

[boops]

Thanks Pia, the midwest is really suffering more than our area. Lately have been getting sporadic rain storms-tomorrow supposed to be another one, 90+ degrees, humid and thunderstorms. Its either feast or famine here. I had to spray my veggies with fungicides and bacterial preventative spray so I don't get tomato diseases on my tomato plants. Humidity so high lately one of my shade gardens was getting powdery mildew on the soil.
I don't go to the beach much anymore, i finally got rid of all the sun damage on my face from when I was young and didn't know about sun block, so I would now be one of those really white legged and pale faced people. I'll gladly send you the heat for more rain for the areas really drought stricken. Hope you warm up over there soon.