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So far summerdry has created 43 blog entries.
5 08, 2021

Summer Dry August 2021 Newsletter

2024-06-27T19:27:58-07:00Categories: Newsletters|Tags: |

Summer Dry August 2021 Newsletter Greetings! On hot August afternoons we may abandon our tools early and head for the hammock with a glass of iced tea. Fortunately, except for deep watering, which even mature trees may need following a record-dry winter, most gardening chores are best postponed until cooler weather and shorter days. Now is the perfect time to relax in the shade with a view of the garden and refine our plans for fall._ _~Saxon Holt and Nora Harlow _ Blog Post: Teucrium | If you’re looking for a deer-resistant plant that checks all the boxes, you may

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19 07, 2021

July News from Summer-Dry

2024-06-27T19:23:48-07:00Categories: Newsletters|Tags: , |

Greetings! High summer is upon us, a month or so early this year it seems, with springtime bloomers already gone and summer flowers at their glorious best. Sit back and enjoy it. Lazy summer days are the well-deserved fruits of our hard work!  * *~Saxon Holt and Nora Harlow  * Blog Post: Lion's Tail The nectar-rich, bright orange, tubular flowers of lion's tail seem specifically designed for hummingbirds and their aromatic leaves are repellent to deer. Blooming from late spring through fall, this South African native blends perfectly with many shrubs and perennials native to summer-dry climates. Read the full

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8 01, 2021

The Book – Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates

2024-07-03T11:47:30-07:00Categories: Blog, Newsletters|Tags: |

Do you already know you want to buy an autographed copy ? Click Here.  Autographed by Nora and SaxonDo you want to know why you want to own this book (and order from the author direct)? Read on:At its core, Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates encourages gardeners to understand and work in harmony with their region. By choosing naturally occurring, climate-appropriate plants, gardeners can promote healthier ecosystems and make a difference from their own backyards.Working with rather than against the summer-dry climate means reducing impact on water supplies and creating spaces that attract and sustain wildlife. It means taking a step back, letting nature assert itself in the garden,

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28 07, 2017

Peeling Bark

2024-06-27T19:26:23-07:00Categories: Blog, trees|Tags: , , |

In a not uncommon response to summer-dry heat, a number of trees and shrubs shed their bark in the middle of the summer. Summertime bark break, manzanita (Arctostaphylos) In California, this exfoliation seems to happen almost instantly in madrone (Arbutus menziesii) and many species of manzanita (Arctostaphylos) with great delight to any observer who watches these natives with any regularity. One day a walk in the dry woods, the always beautiful red mahogany bark will be split open, as the bark rolls back and the girth expands just that much more.  In manzanita the bark will curl back

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9 02, 2017

Newsletter 2 February 2017

2024-06-27T19:26:21-07:00Categories: Newsletters|

This is the second newsletter since Summer-Dry was launched two years ago, so those of you who might have been looking for this update expecting news have not missed anything directly, though there have been about 40 plant descriptions posted to the blog. The initial phase of the site has been a success in simply luring Nora Harlow to write the plant descriptions and getting Dave Fujino of California Center for Urban Horticulture to help us apply for a grant to upgrade the WUCOLS database. That grant application to California Department of Water Resources (DWR) seeks to add photos and plant descriptions

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3 02, 2017

Is The Drought Over ?

2024-06-27T19:26:21-07:00Categories: Blog, Water|

It has been raining like crazy in California this winter.  Or rather, it has ben raining like a normal winter. In a summer-dry climate we expect it to be winter wet. But is the California drought over ? Here is a map showing the overall change in exactly one year, since February 2, 2016. California drought map January 31 2016 - Feb 2 2017; While it has been a dramatic change it its not over; Southern California is still below average.  Although there is above average snowpack in the mountains, which will insure adequate water, the State is still experiencing water

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