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| Rain on Festuca California. |
Ever since I started gardening, I've been addicted to the text discussion of the National Weather Service (for my region, the forecast is here). And, after a very promising start in December, the weather news has been grim. No rain at all in January and February, and nothing much in March.
Then, it was supposed to rain last Saturday, and it didn't. But on Sunday evening, things finally picked up.
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| Raindrops on Sidalcaea malviflora, a native California mallow. |
A short downpour in the evening, and then a steady drizzle overnight. I think it was close to a quarter inch, which was very welcome indeed.
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| Ribes speciosum (Claifornia gooseberry) |
In the morning, I was so excited to go outside and look at everything fresh and clean.
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| Hybrid trout lily with raindrops |
I love how everything sparkles, and I was also relieved because I was very close to turning on the irrigation. Now I can give it another week.
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| Heuchera and native ginger (Asarum caudatum) in the rain |
Even the pots, which I have been hand watering, can probably go for a few days. And who knows, more disturbances are forecast so I might enjoy another round of glorious rain before the dry season starts.
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| Salvia brandegii 'Pacific Blue', with birdbath in background |
I'm ready for another storm or two!
Comments
http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/welcome.jsp
This site is run by the California Department of Water Resources.
Not only does it have the rainfall amounts (lately pretty meager), it also has the evapotranspiration number and other useful data. This is the data is used by golf course managers to determine their watering schedule. It is free (actually we pay for it with our CA taxes).