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den_vic

MG: Are you coping well with drought?

den_vic
14 years ago

I was away in Australia & Polynesia and came back to a very dry Victoria,BC. It was so muggy in Honolulu but I arrived here to very dry conditions. Many gardens are bone dry. Yucca aloifolia is doing well in the garden. So are the cacti. I prefer rigid yuccas over the common droopy Y. recurvifolia.

I noticed Lemon Bottlebrush in southern Australia. It reminded me of the nice tree on Salt Spring Island. I have not noticed this type of bottlebrush at nurseries in Victoria.

The tall palm tree that was moved last year is ok. One out of three 6 ft windmill palms need tlc. The soil from its old garden turned into a solid mass. Probably during the big heatwave in Jul.

I'll plant large rhodos once the palms provide enough shade. The plan is to have fall-winter, early spring, native and late season specimens. Other nice trees to mix with palms are camellias & Magnolia grandiflora "Victoria". The "Victoria" is more compact that the regular grandiflora. The Strawberry tree was a great idea as the deer do not eat the foliage. Photinia is ok because I can use city water when it gets too dry. We can also water everything but I do not maintain a lawn. Too much water required in our summers. California lilac looks good but it's messy come summer. I'll phase it out with Fatsia. The variegated Fatsia did ok during the heatwave in Jul which was a nice surprise. It defoliated at 36C a few years ago. Laurels are coming up better than weeds. They have ripe berries and are flowering in shade. The type in the garden has narrow, deep green leaves. The small fig tree has produced nice fruit for the first time. I'll use cutting to add that same type of fig to the garden. I noticed a nice kiwi vine up-island with a good crop. We started two cultivars, one of which is the local Victoria-area Saanich cultivar. I'll be looking at your website.

Cheers

Comments (5)

  • Mystery_Gardener
    14 years ago

    Hi Denis:

    Sorry about the delay in responding, I have not been at this site for a while.

    No drought problem now of course as it poured this weekend. We have a good producing well so water is seldom a problem.

    The pine you gave me last year has filled out and looks great. I will probably plant it this fall along my new fence. The brug has gotten a little larger but it remained indoors for a long time with our very poor spring. Next year it should do better.

    We would like to come by sometime and see your place, please let us know when a good time would be. Of course we are always open to a visit but there is not as much to see as we are nearing the end of blooming season.

    Cheers,
    MG

  • sharont
    14 years ago

    So you'all in Victoria, did you lose any shrubs or plants due to the dry desert like summer?

    We've had wonderful blooms in our gardens as such not seen in recent years in Ontario. We usually have a month of drought. No patches of brown grass this summer!

  • den_vic
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yes, MG is close to Victoria and I'm in Greater Victoria but at a distance from the ocean. So my temps are lower in Jan and higher in Jul.

    Things burned again this summer because it was very El Nino-ish. But I'm better equiped for summer drought. I also used to live in Ontario where drought were short and not severe near the Nickel Belt but I had frost in early June and late Sept on most years. I could usually depend on the rain in Ontario. I just can't do that in Greater Victoria. I lost another rhodo but once I get better shade my rhodos should do well with summer. My problem this summer is that I had to travel so the garden got less watering.

    This image probably gives you an idea on the dry summer conditions.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Summer on southern Vancouver Island

  • den_vic
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The garden is mostly foliage and I have even fewer flowers thanks to the deers. They have decided to eat my blue hybiscus. I did away with grass at the back and turned it into veggie gardens and patio slabs. The grass would never look good in summer and would be green but muddy in winter. I found a clean solution that serves me all year. This photo shows a tree surrounded by patio stones. The small area around the tree serves to plant bulbs. A bit of veggie garden can be seen. It was just added. So imagine a terraced backyard with no lawn. Note that the tree will not lift the patio stones unlike a hardwood or a growing conifer.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Patio tree

  • Mystery_Gardener
    14 years ago

    Hi Den:

    I too have been slowly eliminating lawn areas. Our soil (and rain) is quite acidic and grass prefers alkaline. It is a constant battle to make it look good, I prefer investing my time in plants and shrubs instead ;-)

    Nice photo of your patio tree, I know you love the tropicals.

    The brug you gave us has 'Y'ed and is producing a bud. I do not know if it will actually flower before it gets too cold but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

    Cheers,
    MG

    Here is a link that might be useful: Our website

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