DROUGHT

Crocus kotschyanus

Even the word brings fear and dread to gardeners. We hope we are at the end of a prolonged drought combined with record-breaking heat. The flowers we expected to peak in early fall look stressed instead of in their glory and many haven’t bloomed yet. Crocus flowers cheer us up in the scree now, and the C. speciosus flowers are smaller than usual, while C. kotschyanus, under the metasequoia look as they should. We have hoses out along the paths, and although we are not watering the beds generally, we keep the plants in pots and urns moist and we give in and water plants drooping in distress. The nursery and propagation areas are carefully watched and regularly watered but the lack of moisture distresses all of us, and we check the forecasts many times a day, always hoping for some promise of rain. It came this weekend—not the rain, but a forecast of a real soaking rain in a few more days. Suddenly, our mood changes and we begin to think of new plantings of bulbs, some from nurseries, and others from division of thick clumps planted here years ago. Young trees, and hardy perennials will go into their prepared sites and our focus turns to the woods. In the past we have seen the first snowdrop flower by now, so perhaps, by the end of this week we will find a nodding snowdrop as a sign of the new season. I had just finished writing this when the rain began to fall, first as mist and by the end of the day, a real shower.