Heads up - these incessant early summer rains are NOT effectively irrigating our gardens.
It is so annoyingly sad, these June rains here in the Puget Sound region. This past weekend families were in the throes of celebrating graduations, but the ceremonies were held in our outdoor pavilions - Qwest Field and Husky stadium. Wet, damp caps and gowns, soggy, dispirited family members of all ages, and in unison they smiled bravely. But behind the discomfort there were triumphant stories that send the soul soaring once again. The graduates have their dreams, and their debts. It is a brave new world, their world, as they sort out their options. The rest of us need to step aside and watch them soar again.
At one of the smaller convocations I watched an older man, a father? or grandfather? dancing to his own rhythm while waiting to take the perfect photo. I said to a friend, this dude is happy on a level I am not sure I know about. The quick response came: "He doesn't have to pay for college anymore."
Meanwhile, our gardens are truly soggy affairs. Looking out the window I saw the last Therese Bugnet rose blooming in such a quiet perfection, surrounded by tender, clean, disease-free leaves. Drawn out to look closer at this beauty, I observed that in spite of all the sogginess there are parched, dry areas. There were two rhododendrons with their leaves pointing straight down in an extreme wilt condition that caught my attention. They are under the canopy of a large massing of Japanese maple trees. Bone-dry soil - they needed immediate attention. Yet, standing in the midst of dripping leaves with a garden hose, on at full bore, does seem quite odd!
I urge you to step over the oozing slugs and snails and check for dryness beyond the damp soil in front of you. If you have set up an automatic irrigation system in your garden, you will know that much has been wasted in the open areas, but at least the drier areas have probably been well served.
The recent mass mailing, entitled CurbWaste & Conserve, from Seattle Public Utilities has some interesting insights into irrigation systems. SPU acknowledges that up to 50 percent of water used by sprinkler systems is wasted "due to over-watering, evaporation or bad sprinkler system design or maintenance." They have listed some interesting Web sites: 1) www.iwms.org is the one for the Irrigation Water Management Society, whose mission statement is "...committed to promoting the wise and efficient use of water in golf, landscape and agriculture"; and 2) www.savingwater.org, a gathering place for many of our local water districts. The site provides links to local informational resources, along with news about rebates.
[[In-content Ad]]
