Drought Bloom Day July 2015


I have cut water usage by 57%, and the garden shows that.  Still, there are many beauties.  Rather than mope, I still get great joy just being out there.  Dahlias are always a thrill, though I only have a few.
 'Holland Festival'

 There are still many flowers--just not as many as there would be after a winter of lavish rain. 
 Only one pink lily bulb emerged this year.  They are short lived in this climate--three years is good, this is the fourth and likely last for this one, and it bid the world a beautiful goodbye
 57% less water, and 'Wildfire' rose marches on!
 Perhaps next bloom day, the very first Protea flower may be open.  This is Protea 'Mini King'.   Because a Protea is very special, I think I can get away with showing the bud.  The flower will be small for a Protea, only 6" across.
 I'm not fond of Agave augustifolia...
 ...but it is feeding many hummingbirds and bees.

 Yet the feeder still manages to be mobbed most of the day.  If I fill it at dawn, it's empty at sunset. 

Update 7/16/2015:  Juvenile Costa's(?) Hummingbird?  Note "mutton chop" protruding feather on neck:
 

Agastache 'Globetrotter', first bloom.  Not as impressive as 'Blue Fortune' in vigor and quantity of bloom, but still lovely. 
 It was getting dark, so that's all for this bloom day here.  Visit May Dreams for many more flowers.  She got rain!

Comments

  1. Quite spectacular that Agave angustifolia. Serves a good purpose too!

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    1. The bees are back--clouds of them--there must be a new hive somewhere near. Yay!

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  2. Lovely flowers, and the Hummingbird photos are great!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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  3. You have to relish the blooms you have, right? You do have some nice ones -- looking forward to the protea!

    I've *never* had a hummingbird feeder emptied, unless you count the times that raccoons managed to pull it down...

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    1. I try to refill just before the feeder is completely empty, but they will lick it completely dry. There are multiple Salvias, Fuchsias, Agastache, and Iochroma within 10 feet of the feeder and they are at those, too. This part of the garden is like a busy airport.

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  4. Oh, my, those dahlias really pop. Your blooms all look lovely in your very difficult drought situation and I do love your hummingbird pictures. Good for you for providing a diner for them.

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    1. I love the hummers--they are so entertaining!

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  5. 57%...wow. You're amazing. You can post about that Protea bud/flower everyday as far as I'm concerned!

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    1. I'm really excited about the flower. I have a little fence around the plant I'm so excited about the flower. I will be posting.

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  6. Beautiful hummingbird photos, and 'Wildfire' rose is lovely too. Hope you get an abundance of rain, soon.

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    1. Thank you. The climatologists think we have a good chance of a drought-ending winter--so we are all crossing our fingers and toes here, and anything else cross-able.

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  7. Your photos are always great but that shot of the 2 hummingbirds at the feeder is priceless. The bird on the left looks as though he's either affronted or surprised by the presence of the other bird as he's coming in for a landing. I'm very impressed by the Protea and by the flower on that agave too. My garden is also feeling the effects of the drought and water restrictions - while a lot of plants have a few blooms, not many have lots of flowers. I heard there's a slight chance of rain later in the week as another tropical system pushes through - we can hope!

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    1. Not looking forward to heat and humidity, but oh well. We had that week of cool--wasn't it heaven?

      The big difference is in the roses--smaller flushes, slower to repeat. I was expecting that, but was not expecting less disease resistance. The day lilies actually seem to be having a better year. What's with that?!?

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    2. That *is* odd; it's an old daylily saw that the best fertilizer for them is water.

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    3. Now that I think about it, I moved a lot of them 2 years ago--I guess they are re-established.

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  8. Given the rain and water situation it is amazing how much you still have in flower!

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    1. I'm fairly happy about it--hasn't been as disastrous as I expected. The not-established Aloes need extra waterings, but they are small so it doesn't take a lot.

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  9. I greatly admire your hummingbird photos. Learned to my astonishment yesterday, via a news article at the Mt. Cuba Center site, that hummingbirds don't feed at phlox, because the bloom stems are too narrow -- only butterflies and moths, apparently. I've certainly seen a hummingbird moth going at the phlox many times, but could also swear that I've seen hummingbirds. Now determined to make the garden more h-friendly; I thought I had it covered. Will be using salvias, though, not Agaves...

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    1. Most of them seem to be getting pretty blase about my presence. Makes it easier to get pictures. Salvias--they love Salvias.

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  10. Your blooms are gorgeous despite the drought and you are so fortunate to have those amazing hummingbirds! Thank you for dropping by my blog. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. I enjoyed your beautiful garden. Your blog is as good as your garden, which is to say, very good indeed.

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  11. Way to go, 57 percent! That protea is going to be amazing. Wish my little one looked as promising but the blackened leaf tips don't bode well...

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    1. Yes, the bill dropped so much, I can buy more plants.

      Regular irrigation, 2x per week, for the first two years, said the professional Protea grower.

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  12. The hummingbird photo with the two at the feeder .... the one on the left is somewhat unusual, not your common ordinary Allen's or Anna's ... it is a male Costa's ... your can tell by the extended side feathers of the gorget ... which is purple in the right light ... looks like a dark purple bar in the picture ... unique.

    It has an odd migration pattern. Audubon.org writes: (The desert) is the favored habitat for Costa's Hummingbird. In Arizona and California deserts, this species nests during late winter and spring, and most then avoid the hot summer by migrating to coastal California and Baja.

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    1. I was wondering about the birdie with the "mutton chops". I have a better photo of him, maybe I'll get that posted. I thought he was a juvenile maybe a Costa, but didn't think they ranged out here near the coast. Thanks for the info!

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  13. I'm am amazed at your flowering abundance... 57% huh? That's a lot - you are good!!! Fabulous photos of the humming birds. I can't believe they empty it in just a day. Looking forward to seeing more Protea pics. Wish it grew here...

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    1. I'm amazed they not only drain the feeder but are constantly at the flowers as well. I'm surprised they are not getting chubby. I will be posting more Protea pix as the buds progress. I'm excited!

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  14. I have cut back on watering this year, too, but only because I haven't needed to--we have had so much rain, I'm wishing for some sunny, dry days instead. Wish I could send some your way! Lovely dahlias, but my favorite of all is seeing all the hummingbirds--great photos!

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    1. Rain, sigh. Enjoy it for me! Happy you liked the photos.

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  15. Beautiful flowers in your garden dear Hoover, the dahlia is a lovely colour and well done you for cutting your water usage. Lovely photos of the hummingbirds too, they are certainly thirsty for the nectar you so kindly provide.
    Happy Bloom Day!
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. Thank you, Dianne. I'm happy I get to provide them something--their antics give much joy.

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  16. Not bad at all (57% savings good), and things are supposed to go dormant in summer anyway! The hummingbirds must know...just having them helps one to enjoy being out, even if not one's favorite plant. (I think of Salvia greggii...so common)

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    1. Not a big fan of S. greggii--it gets woody fast here and has a long "off" season. Better choices in our climate.

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  17. Congratulations on reducing your water use by 57%! Pretty impressive! Love your hummingbirds and am looking forward to seeing that protea open!

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    1. Thanks! I'm looking forward to that Protea as well.

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  18. Loved the agave and hummingbird photos. Great pics!

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  19. I'm staying toned to see that Protea flower in all its stages. Nice that your drastic water reduction is not taking too great a toll on flower production.

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    1. I'm watching that flower daily--checked it twice today. I'll be blogging it!

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