Be Prepared

 Above, 'Spacecoast Starburst'
December is late for Hemerocallis flowers, but if they manage to open without a lot of heat, the color is richer and stays richer all day.  I was really enjoying the above flower on Thursday while preparing for impending rain.  

I put the patio chairs out so the rain could wash them off.  I use the hose if it doesn't rain, but rainwater is free.  Patio chairs get really dusty here. 
 Tubs go under the patio scuppers
 The other tub under the other scupper:
 This barrel is for overflow if the tubs fill up.  The wheels make it handy for rolling water for distribution
 The downspout diverter installed last year has proven to be an excellent idea.  I figured out that because of the slight slope in the pavement away from the house and towards a nearby drain, when the grey barrel fills, it will overflow into the black barrel, and when the black barrel fills, it will overflow into the white barrel. 
 Culvert drain clear and ready.
 Irrigation system OFF.  A single deep soaking rain in late fall or winter can cut the water bill by $100.  The rainwater distributed only to the driest places in the garden can further extend the no-irrigation time and save even more. 

This time, the preparations were worth performing.  We got well over an inch of rain, probably closer to an inch and a half (38 mm).
Actually the preparation work was a pleasure.  It was wonderful to be outdoors in cool weather.  The small amounts of rain we've already gotten this fall have done wonders.
'Brass Band'
 Osteospermum 'Fourth Dimension Silver'
 'Lady Emma Hamilton'
 'William Shakespeare 2000'
 Be prepared!

Comments

  1. Yippee. You got rain. I got rain. You were well prepared and it paid off many ways. Congratulations.

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    1. It was so wonderful to listen to it falling. I am happy. You are happy. The plants are happy!

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  2. Your fountain-style collection methodology is neat. Preparation is definitely worth the time. You got much more rain than we did. If our roof-top weather station is to be believed, our total was only 0.67/inch but that's still worth a few cycles of the irrigation system, especially this time of year when evaporation is slower. My rain barrels were neatly topped off, as you predicted and I managed to collect some water in trugs from the rain chain too. As I was out in the rain last night, my car even got the dust washed off it. It was a very nice early Christmas present.

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    1. Orographic lifting--being in the foothills, the clouds give up more moisture as they rise over the land. What a wonderful state the garden is in right now--all the washed off foliage is a completely brighter color. I thought about pulling my car out, but didn't get to it. I have gotten out there when it was raining and washed it in the rain.

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  3. Yay for SoCal rain! So how much does an inch, inch and a half, fill up those containers?

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    1. 0.25" fills them all up. It's a big roof. Everything is so CLEAN now, washed free of dust. It's party time!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks! There are a whole lot of happy gardeners in California today.

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  5. I wasn't prepared for those roses! Jaw-dropping. We just had a freezing rain overnight that left everything encased until noon, its own kind of beauty, but nothing to nourish the heart like that 'Brass Band'.

    So happy for you and your plants. Did all the barrels fill up as planne?

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    1. Freezing rain--I've been reading about that on PNW blogs--beautiful but destructive. I hope your garden is not too damaged.

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the roses--I sure do!

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  6. D'oh! Just saw the answer to the question about the barrels.

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    1. No problem! Yes, all filled. Christmas fell from the sky instead of coming down the chimney. :)

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  7. Ingenious collection methods...hope it will see you through the next dry spell.

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    1. What the collected water does is extend the time when the irrigation is shut off. By hand watering just certain plants in the driest parts of the garden, a hundred fifty gallons of rain water enables us to save three or four thousand of tap water. It does help!

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