Dry August Garden

 Extra dry. Extra neglected. Such is the state of my garden. But that's okay, it's life. I suppose it is a good test to observe what plants can handle prolonged periods without my hands. Probably most plants, in one way or another, though the garden certainly wouldn't look the way I envision. 

The labyrinth and edges of it are especially dry areas with the most sun - most of these images are from that area. Let's take a look at what a low-water, very well-drained Oregon garden looks like mid-August.

The very edge of the labyrinth garden looking north. The edging seen on the right is new this year and is a big, happy feature for me right now, I am really loving it. It delineates the intentional garden and wild weedy mess, thereby forgiving the latter. On the extreme right is a Forestiera neomexicana, desert olive, a deciduous small tree that is incredibly tough and drought-adapted. I purchased it years ago from High Country Gardens as a bare root plant - I bought a male and female, one of each. They are just beginning to fill in and have a presence. The silvery small shrub is Artemisia versicolor.

Arctostaphylos silvicola 'Ghostly' has the orange-reddest berries right now, I love the color combination.

More edging on the left on the edge of one of the Himalayan mounds. Salvia 'Brilliance', Arctostaphylos pumila, Diascia 'Coral Canyon', Macleaya microcarpa, Festuca 'Beyond Blue' and sedum.

Same area from the other side. I love how the edging funnels down into a path and really makes it look intentional rather than focusing on the rather unattractive dormant field grass/weeds.

Macleaya microcarpa flowers

Grevillea 'Neil Bell' is larger than life and putting on a fabulous show.

Arctostaphylos pumila has some fresh new branches and leaves. From time to time I observe dead branches here and there on this particular species, but overall the two plants I have are happy. I just cut out the dead bits and new growth eventually takes over.

A slightly opened up area by Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn' with a Pennisetum spathiolatum on the left, an unknown phormium and Pennisetum 'Karly Rose' behind it. The phormium was tattered this winter and I did water it a lot earlier in spring to get it going, but other than that this area is not watered.

Dahlia imperialis came back strong this year and I swear you can hear it grow. Behind it is Ribes aureum, golden currant, with a little hint of autumn coloration. Truth be told, ribes can go dormant with no water in summer and this one is beginning to do so.

The meadow garden rich with seed heads, blonde and gold grasses and fresh green of Amsonia hubrichtii. The spikes are Digitalis ferruginea which will turn chocolate brown as the season progresses. They will persist like this until spring adding a bit of interest in the wet season.

Looking through a few layers of garden to large Miscanthus sinensis 'Cabaret' beyond. Hebe 'Karo Golden Esk' on the left, Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' top right.

Bright greens achieved through Amsonia hubrichtii, Hebe 'Karo Golden Esk' and a couple of arctos.

One of the most asked about plants during open gardens this year is this, Cornus sanguinea 'Compressa'. It is slow growing, eventually reaching 7' or so, and very columnar. It is deciduous and although it is a dogwood, really doesn't need the summer water that others do.

The firepit surrounded by creeping thyme. I missed the flower show, a spectacular rich electric purple red that attracts lots of bees, and is quite pretty. Festuca rubra 'Patrick's Point' is the blue grass, the larger are Muhlenbergia rigens.

Base of the deck garden without the two rather large and unhappy Ceanothus 'Italian Skies' removed earlier this year. I love how open it is now and we can see out past our deck onto the garden.

Same area, detail. The Epilobium canum (syn. Zauschneria californica) is much happier with more sun and the Santolina virens (green shrub) which I thought was dead came back. I guess it wanted sun after all. Silly me. I love the clash of the hot pink flowers of Phedimus spurius (syn. Sedum spurium) with the orange of the California fuchsia (Epilobium). This phedimus is proably 'Voodoo' or some such cultivar, they are so mixed up in my garden I have lost track of what is what.

Pennisetum 'Karly Rose' with color echoes of Verbena bonariensis.

Very southern end of the property looking west. That tidied up area on the right is courtesy of metal edging. Ceanothus cuneatus 'Adair Village' is the ginormous shrub center right which, since it's on a bit of a slope (difficult to tell here), fell over though was fine. FM righted it and secured it with a giant metal stake. 

Same general area with Oscar, my mother's beloved Agave parryi var. truncata. The metal edging also helps keep the gravel from spilling down.

Diplacus aurantiacus 'Jeff's Tangerine' in the hot dregs of August. They always look a little tattered this time of the year and upon close inspection I see that much of the brown coloration are spent flowers going to seed. Some leaves, too, yes, but it was such a floriferous spring that the aftermath is big. A little summer water and they will green right up. In fact, they tend to go dormant in California during summer. Summer dormancy, it's a thing. And it's ok. I think if I embrace this idea I'll be a happier gardener.

More edge of labyrinth shots with Salvia 'Celestial Blue' in the center. On the right, Phlomis russelliana is in its summer ugly phase. The leaves along the stems are dying and will eventually fall off on their own, or if you're impatient you can pull/cut them off. The few dead leaves at the base can also be cleaned up. BUT the best is yet to come. Those flower stems will stay upright and rigid, turn deep dark brown and be FABULOUS for the rest of your life. Or at least through next spring or until you remove them.

Salvia 'Celestial Blue', I love you.

Same goes for Salvia 'Brilliance'.

Not that Veronicastrum virginicum is a drought-adapted super star, but I will share that I have experimented with giving it the Chelsea chop. That is to say around about the time the Chelsea flower show is in swing (May-ish), give your leggy perennials a chop and it will keep them more compact. They will bloom (really), but be shorter and flowers probably a little smaller. In the case of this plant, they don't flop over (if I left them they would easily reach 7' tall and fall everywhere) and now require much less water.

My lovely Tagetes 'Cinnabar' are going again this year. A lovely tall marigold with a striking presence especially in early autumn.

The veggie garden is super-neglected this year, though it is giving us a bounty all the same. Dill is a favorite and I've managed to harvest bunches.

The Winter Luxury pie pumpkins are abundant and coloring up nicely.

And the cabbages are also coming along, I see sauerkraut in my future.

While more ugly bits are of course edited out, the garden overall is in pretty good shape. Probably because we spent a lot of time getting it ready for our early June open garden for HPSO. Really, even though there are lists upon lists of tasks to tackle, I know they will find their place in time and I'll do what I feel like and that which brings joy. It still brings joy, the garden does. So much for which I am eternally grateful.

A couple of housekeeping notes: This weekend we're having an estate/garage sale at my mother's home in Tigard if you'd care to swing by and say hello, though these things are often madhouses. The address is 8925 SW Pinebrook Court, Tigard - Saturday 9 - 3 and Sunday 9 - noon. Also, mark your calendars for Saturday September 13th for our annual Dirty Diggers autumn plant sale. It will be from 11 - 3, the address is 334 N. Baldwin, Portland.

That's a wrap for this time at Chickadee Gardens. As always thank you so much for reading and commenting, we appreciate you. Thank you for your patience while we navigate through grief and overwhelming duties of losing a beloved mother. Keep on gardening, good people of the earth!