Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Garden Coaching
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • My Gardens
    • The Back Garden
    • The Potager
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Garden Coaching
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • My Gardens
    • The Back Garden
    • The Potager

With rain, the garden grows

29 June, 2014 By Dee Nash

by Dee Nash
29 June, 201429 June, 2014Filed under:
  • Daylilies
  • Flowers
  • Garden Worthy Plants
  • Gardening
  • Native Plants
  • Oklahoma
  • Perennials
  • Vegetables
  • Wild Weather
Overstuffed back garden which is so happy from the rain.

Overstuffed back garden so happy from the rain.

This year, I am reminded that gardening is so much easier when the sun doesn’t overwhelm plants suffering from drought. With a little rain, the garden grows in beauty and grace. The last three years Oklahoma suffered with high temperatures and terrible drought, not as terrible as California, but bad enough. Even though we fought the good fight with soaker hoses and drip irrigation on timers, plants remained smaller with some even drying up and going underground at the height of summer–baptisia, anyone?. Even with a lot of extra plants, the garden look less like a jungle and much more like a desert oasis.

I’ll take a jungle any day. This year, the garden is full to bursting. There’s really no more room for any new plants.

Hemerocallis 'Spider Miracle' with 'Softee' rose and H. 'A Cut Above' in the background.

Hemerocallis ‘Spider Miracle’ with ‘Softee’ rose and H. ‘A Cut Above’ in the background.

Garden visitors came last week and one asked why my plants were so stuffed together. I appreciate growing plants as “green mulch.” Daylilies and other tough plants, especially ornamental grasses and prairie natives, or selections from them, squeeze out many weeds. Once the plants are larger, they also shade out their competition. I did find room for a small Echinacea ‘Piccolino’ at the front of the meadow border. We’ll see if it will last more than a couple of years. I was burned on some of the newer echinaceas in the past, especially those yellow ones.

Echinacea 'Piccolino' is enjoying the rain that makes the garden grow.

Echinacea ‘Piccolino’, a dwarf double coneflower.

In the vegetable garden, I wish I’d planted my zinnias in a spot where they could really shine. I don’t know what I was thinking when I planned the vegetable garden because obviously, the zinnias should be planted in front of the sunflowers and corn. They aren’t tall enough to compete. Still, when I’m back there weeding and picking pole beans, I see the zinnias even if my neighbors don’t. Pollinators also don’t seem to care.

There are zinnias hiding behind those sunflowers in the vegetable garden.

There are zinnias hiding behind those sunflowers in the vegetable garden.

The front bed facing the street is my experimental one. In it, I place all the seeds and seedlings I’ve started–many I’ve never grown before. It’s all a happy jumble of plants with no rhyme or reason. This year, ‘Jigsaw’ and ‘Purple Majesty’ millet are really showing off. I put out Nolo bait early to keep the grasshoppers at bay. I noticed lots of young grasshoppers again two days ago. I’ll put out more Nolo bait today on those plants the grasshoppers especially want to eat like millet, perennial hibiscus and cannas, for example.

With a little rain, the garden grows. 'Purple Majesty' millet and cup flower in perennial garden

‘Purple Majesty’ millet with Silphium perfoliatum, cup plant and Monarda didyma ‘Pardon My Purple’ bee balm behind.

More rain is forecast for Tuesday or Thursday. My garden will be bursting at its seams, but I don’t care. I’m grateful to have happy plants this year.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

Post navigation

Previous Post Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, June 2014
Next Post Come on over to daylily’s dark side

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robin Ruff Leja says

    9 July, 2014 at 1:55 am

    I'm seeing the same thing here. More rain, which I welcome, but now it's a jungle! I guess I'll take a jungle over a desert. I don't fall for any "fancy" echinaceas anymore, they all let me down, as you said! I stick with basic purple and white coneflowers.

    • Gardening Northside says

      13 July, 2014 at 5:56 am

      It might looks like a jungle but it still looks beautiful and so sure with the coming more rain this garden will grow more beautiful . I am so captivated.

      • Dee Nash says

        15 July, 2014 at 8:15 am

        Oh, thank you so much. Captivated is very nice.

  2. Rose says

    1 July, 2014 at 6:51 am

    The rain really has made such a difference in the garden this year, although we have ponds in the beanfields, which is not a good thing. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who crams a plant into any bare inch of dirt available. Your “jungle” is beautiful, and I love the purple millet contrasting with other blooms in the last photo.

  3. @kirklander61 says

    30 June, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    Great garden blog, good read. http://t.co/d0OqFZwxXr via @reddirtramblin

  4. Charlie@Seattle Trekker says

    30 June, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    Your garden is so lush and gorgeous. The beginning of the year was so rough for so many it is amazing to see so many doing so well at this time of year.

  5. Gardener on Sherlock Street says

    30 June, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    We are thrilled with the rain too. Amazing what it will do. We still need more. The wells are low but the garden is going to produce!

  6. Deanne Fortnam says

    30 June, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    It's all beautiful and so lush! Love July in the gardens. Mine peak out mid July. Everything seems to explode into growth with the long days around the solstice

  7. Lisa at Greenbow says

    30 June, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    Your garden looks so lush. You deserve a few good years after that horrible drought. I am afraid that our area has inherited your drought. No measurable rain since June11. I know it can be worse. I am hoping not.

  8. Linda/patchwork says

    30 June, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    We’ve had more rain this year, too.
    It’s wonderful!!
    Your garden looks great. I like the ‘overstuffed’ look.

  9. Tim Lloyd says

    30 June, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    looks great! My 2nd year using Nolo bait as we go organic. It seems to do well with the young ones, I haven't had luck with larger grasshoppers though.

  10. @reddirtramblin says

    30 June, 2014 at 6:44 am

    @LucyCorrander If it’s that confusing, that’s not good. If you still want to comment, here’s the post: http://t.co/k2fptJJw3Q Thx!!!

  11. Cynthia, aka Gaia gardener says

    29 June, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    Have you tried Echinacea paradoxa for your yellow Echinacea? I’ve had it for about 5 years now and it comes back a bit stronger every year, even in the years of bad heat and drought we’ve been having. I believe it was one of the parents of many of the new cultivars that have been showing up in recent years, but I think it’s stronger than its progeny, if that’s the case.

    • Dee Nash says

      30 June, 2014 at 6:47 am

      Hi Cynthia, I tried it once long ago, and it didn’t take. Thanks for the reminder. I should definitely try it again. Natives are often hardier.~~Dee

  12. @umphrey says

    29 June, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    With rain, the garden grows – Red Dirt Ramblings® http://t.co/WV5imMBqag

  13. Karin Termini says

    29 June, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    I am looking forward to more rain!

    • Dee Nash says

      30 June, 2014 at 6:48 am

      Hi Karin, we’re supposed to get more this week. My garden is looking forward to it too.~~Dee

  14. Christina Kamp says

    29 June, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    the rain has been lovely!

  15. @Naturesta says

    29 June, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    With rain, the garden grows http://t.co/Rqu92qFpY0 #garden

Primary Sidebar

About Dee

Hi, I’m Dee, a professional garden writer and speaker born and raised in Oklahoma. Here you’ll find all my best dirt on gardening and travel. Welcome!

Read More

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Subscribe Here To RDR Updates.


* indicates required
Email News
Email Format

Garden Coaching

Garden Coaching

Grow a beautiful and manageable garden with personalized pointers from Dee!

Learn More

Give my podcast a listen!

Our podcast logo! The Gardenangelists.

Search me baby!

Travel

It's time to get the leaves off of the pansies.

It’s time to plan for next year’s garden

9 November, 2022 By Dee Nash

Yes, I know we're all exhausted from the summer from hell in Oklahoma and Texas--or is that just me? But it's time to start planning for next year's dream garden. Trust me, it's time, and who knows? Maybe next Read More

Fun days at the daylily national convention

16 July, 2022 By Dee Nash

For July's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I want to share my visit to the daylily national convention. A region of the American Daylily Society puts on the AHS National Convention each year. Region 15 put on this Read More

Road trip to Yellowstone National Park

28 October, 2019 By Dee Nash

Bill and I traveled all summer. I'm not gonna lie. It was tons of fun, but after getting back from our road trip to Yellowstone National Park last month, I am tired and will be staying home for a while. I Read More

GOW Footer Widget Header

Ask me a question!

Please feel free to ask me a question here or at my email addy: dee@deenash.com.
I’ll try to answer every question and get back to you as quickly as possible.

Contact Us

Footer

Blogs I Dig

  • Clay and Limestone–TN
  • Cold Climate Gardening–NY
  • Dirt Therapy–PNW
  • Each Little World
  • Faire Garden–TN
  • Greenbow–IN
  • Growing With Plants
  • Joanne's Cottage Garden
  • May Dreams Gardens–IN
  • Redeem Your Ground
  • Rock Rose–TX
  • Toronto Gardens–Canada

Red Dirt Sisters

  • Curtiss Ann Matlock
  • The Not Always Lazy W

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Let’s bring back the Monarchs

Let’s bring back the Monarchs
For more info about speaking and other work, visit my other website!

Dear Friend and Gardener

Join our virtual garden club and share all summer

Join our virtual #garden club and share all #summer

Disclosure Notice

Red Dirt Ramblings participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and its affiliates.

Occasionally, I also accept some garden items for review. If I review one of these items, I will let you know in the post. Thank you.

© Copyright 2023 Reddirtramblings.com · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Sitemap

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...