lavandula

It´s happening everywhere! We live in Chile. We used to have our fair share of Winter rains starting at the end of Fall (May). This year our first downpour happened in mid July which is well into Winter. We are still waiting for a few more showers but nothing. We run a medium size commercial orange and loquat plantation. We drip irrigate our trees (it´s done from an irrigation channel). The pump works steady from early Spring til the end of Summer. But the Summer seems to be extending into Fall each year.

We installed a drip system in my garden as well (during the first year I had to use the well to irrigate). I has helped reduce dramatically the quantity of water spent and the plants love the consistency of the dripping system. They like their routine just like babies do. I have a beautiful garden. Everything has flourished. I sometimes indulge myself buying some roses and plants that require a bit more water but then I place them in more shady spots. The rest of my garden is almost drought resistant. I do not buy any more annuals because they require the same amount of work and water and cannot afford that. I would love to have a lawn for all to enjoy but I can´t. I wouldn´t be using my common sense. Nature around here, says no when it comes to lawns. So, the point in all this is to work with what one has gotten. I have plenty of rocks but still a lush garden because I choose my plants and flowers well, the same goes with bushes, and trees. And the drip system is magical!!!
My husband is Irish and I lived 16 years in Los Angeles, California (I´m Chilean/American). I was never fully aware of the cause and effect of what we do and how it affects nature and us as a result. Not fully til we jumped into this farming project. It has opened my eyes to how nature works and the impact of our actions against it. Now I know that we cannot control nature. We cannot send a message and request rain and sun and else. The more we work against nature the more negative answers we will get.
We have two small children aged 3 and 1.5. Sometimes I think of how we were raised. I never heard of anybody talking about climate change, the uncertainty of what the future would bring, disasters everywhere, etc. It can get pretty scary to think about the future now.

As much as I love landscaping I decided to sell plants to those designers willing to do the hard work. And, yes! plants are the least of the problems landscapers encounter. Still, garden design is a beautiful job. Best Wishes to Roberta.

I have a garden where most of my plants,bushes, etc. go a bit crazy, a bit wild. I do prune when necessary, not a lot, but just enough to keep the garden "clean". I do agree with Billy in most of the "technical part" of what he argues but there is no need to be insulting. Maybe the person who did this job doesn´t have the slightest idea of what he/she was doing. It is clear that this person is a bad clipper, and tried to achieve some ornamental style with very bad results. The word is teaching, educating and not mocking. This could be a nice person who lacks the knowledge or some common sense to stop when needed. I think all of us, plant lovers, have made one or two mistakes in our garden. We all have to be humble and learn how to teach and share our knowledge without sounding arrogant and disrespectful.

gardendigger,

You have been of great help! I got this plant from a nursery which had only 5 samples for propagation. The owner was good enough to sell me one, but couldn´t tell me the name since the person who sold her the plants didn´t know the name either. I live in Chile (SA) in an area with very hot Summers and cold Winters (no snow but some frosts). My Pycnostachys Urticifolia has done super well, including the cuttings I took for propagation. Thank you again!!

I agree with PlayinDirt. Anemone.