We're not at the critical stage yet but getting there. I have watered the perrennial beds every 5 or 6 days though.

Kathy

I feel your pain. It was really dry here but then we got a few downpours last week. That and watering has helped things out. Still last night I dug up some grass for a new bed and the ground was dusty-bone-dry. The rain came down too fast to soak in through the dried grass.
A few rainy days would do a world of good.

Awfully dry here too. The storms last week just danced around our neighborhood. We got a bare trace, that's it!

I'm going on vacation on Friday, so I'll soak everything Thursday night and hope for the best.

We're really dry in central Bucks. The trees in the woods are beginning to look stressed, and the earth is hard as rock.

No rain in sight, either. It bugs me to hear the weather forecasters say we're "safe" from rainy weather, when we need it so badly!

I think we are in the third week without rain in SW Chester County. Some part of this dry period had temperatures in the 90s. The grass went dormant (hope it isn't dead) and is quite crisp. I have to water tonight or tomorrow morning to keep things (other than grass) alive.

thunder boomers have been hit and miss in our area out here in south central PA also, but I have to water the plants on the porch so in the evening as I water them I spray the perenial beds a bit and it has all night to soak in and be absorbed by the roots. It isn't enough water to saturate them by any means but it is enough to keep the mulch moist and the crust off the beds so any rain that gets here will have a better chance of soaking in.

Here in Lancaster County it's been dry, too. I watered my annuals, roses, delphiniums and newly planted perennials. Here's hoping we get that rain tomorrow!

Yeah, it is raining this morning here in franklin county. I don't think it is going to last very long though. It has been very dry here too.

Will someone do a RAINDANCE!! YEs, here in SW Pa. we need rain for our gardens & flower beds. I went to weed out my veg. garden and the soil was very hard! I try to water every 4 or 5 days though just to keep it moist. Garden is growing fairly well.

Had 0.8 inches on the 6th. no measurable since. Very dry in sun beds, getting dry in shade beds. I water all new stuff at least every other day but a rain would sure be appreciated.

George

Just had a nice steady little thunder shower here about an hour ago in NW Philly. It was enough to at least moisten the surface of the ground and wash the dust and pollen off the leaves. However I know these were hit and miss storms so not all areas got it.

I saw them pass through on the radar. We got some clouds. Maybe we will get lucky next week. There is supposed to be an isolated thundershower on Sunday. Whoopee.

The boomers were in the area last evening, but missed us. The nearby Brandywine Creek level is the lowest I've seen in a few years. Back to watering...:-/

We had a nice heavy downpour yesterday evening, well over a quarter inch. What a relief!

The storm came through just as I got home from work. I stood outside under the breezeway, drinking a beer and watching it come down.

I'm in SE Berks and I saw the clouds (big black ones) and heard the thunder and got 10 huge drops of rain, and that was it.
Today I chiseled weeds out of my iris bed ;((

Its going into the 90s the next few days with no rain. If this keeps up, we will have water restrictions.

....and , as Pipersville Carol said...the weathercasters continue with their 'good news' for people who are tired of rain. grrrrr

As of this morning, my veggie garden is terminally fried from this dry weather, I just couldn't keep up with the watering. I'm concentrating on keeping the tomato plants alive, everything else is a loss because I'm busy watering trees and shrubs in the main garden areas.

The raspberry crop is pathetic, a bummer because I'd pruned really carefully and was interested in how it would affect the yield. I've got lots of berries, but they're tiny.

If this is June, what will July and August be like?

We had a splash of rain this morning (a little more than a spit). It added to the humidity and little else. The Philly folk may have had a bit more than a splash.

I'm in chesco too, and loved that little spit this morning. I was out with the baby planting at someone else's garden (in West Chester) and it was really fun - we got a nice little shower, but didn't have to stop working. It rained a bit more just a little while ago here at my house, but now the sun's out again. Oh well, so much for an excuse to clean the house!

I'd better get those new soaker hoses installed and in use before any restrictions hit. I'm so afraid my new perennials won't get established well. I've been watering by hand, but when the whole bed is bone dry, it's basically just life support.

About a 16th of an inch so far on the rain gauge,,,it's a start :-/

At least weather.com shows a chance of rain all the way thru Friday.. here's hoping for an inch.

shadylady and paula:

It looks like the three of us are in Chester County.

Have you seen a Ninebark 'Coppertina' at any nurseries in our area yet? I would really like to see one. I just noticed one of the mail order stores is sold out for the year already.

Hi Bob,

I'm in Chester county also, almost on the delaware border just n of Newark. It has misted here all day. In 12 hours we have about 1/10 inch which is essentially useless.

And no, I haven't seen that plant around. I stop off-and-on at Richardson's in Hockessin and Styers up on 1. Haven't seen it, but haven't looked so could be there.

George

I didn't have to water my lawn yesterday!!!!

Whoo-hoo!

I'm south of Coatesville and I ride horses nearby. I haven't been able to ride in the ring because of the giant dust cloud which ensues from going in circles in there. There have been many reasons I have been doing the rain dance!

Wow, I water my veggie garden every other day, or every day if it's really hot. I don't think I could go more than 3 days MAX without rain or water.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! I just saw the Weather Channel's radar. Its got big red blobs heading north-east just south-west of here in SW Chester Co. Coatesville, its coming your way too. I'm hopin, I'm hopin, I'm hopin. I can hear the thunder now.

chescobob, I'm in West Bradford Twp., I haven't been shopping much for plants this year, busy taking care of all the shrubs I put in last year, and a few earlier this spring -
Try calling Mostardi's in Newtown Square, or J. Franklin Styer's in Concordville... they both stock a few more specialty items than other nurseries, but, they are expensive.
So far, between Monday and this morning, I have a quarter inch in the rain gauge. Just a sprinkling last night really.

We got 2 spits last night. It looks like about 4 spits tonight.

Same here Bob, I thought for sure we'd get hit last night, watching a radar blob come from the west on the map, but alas....

That radar blob blasted my area. Alot of thunder and lightning, along with some rain.

Let's try again tonight. One of the says, we will probably end up with massive downpours and floods.

I'm going to Groff's Nursery now and see if I can find any new buddies to bring home with me.

I applied Milky Spore to my back 1/2 acre lawn Tuesday night thinking we'd get rain for sure by tommorrow - if we don't get it tonight, I'm going to have to wet the whole area tommorrow. :-( We're leaving on vacation Saturday morning. Such is life-

Bob, I just popped back on here. I have not seen "Coppertina" that I know of, but I will keep my eyes peeled. I have been perusing the shrubs at Main Line Gardens. Potter's nursery usually has a pretty good selection of shrubs and trees, but I don't know if they are on top of the new selections. You could give them a call to see if they have one. I should be going to MLG this weekend, so I'll take a look for you.

Shadylady:

Please keep an eye out for Coppertina. It is not in full distribution this year but it will be next year. I did buy 2 Ninebark 'Summer Wine' yesterday at Gfoff's in eastern Lancaster County. They are the 1/2 size version of Diablo.
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It looks like we will have to pay for our rain with heavy or severe thunderstorms this afternoon. Can anyone west of us report on the storms' instensity (eg. winds, hail, etc.)? Thanks.