Summer-Dry

08/09/2024

We hope you are seeing our page after reading the newsletter and will join in a discussion about seasons in the broad geographic range of summer-dry climates.

We photographed three of the photos seen here in Seattle in early June when gardens were still green and lush; and three photos in late August at UC Davis in the very hot and dry central valley of California.

Both are summer-dry climates and there is beauty in all seasons. Do you find beauty in your garden all year ?

06/29/2024

We include the Pacific Northwest in the summer-dry climate of the West Coast. As in all climates , native plants are always the best adapted, and it was exciting to photograph two award winning gardens recently for Pacific Horticulture's design awards:

From Jonathan Hallet’s Supernature firm:
- a front yard native meadow sloping to the street
- a view of the back yard meadow looking out from existing poplar trees
- kids at play in the meadow. Who says kid’s need lawns ?!
From GGN Landscape Architects:
- a small space with patio edged in a layered native border
- the side garden with shade tolerant ferns and shrubs
- a stumpery in an incredibly narrow front garden abutting a sidewalk.

06/29/2024

For better of worse I spend a lot of time indoors staring at the computer screen tweeking photos, making subtle and not so subtle adjustments. I have become particularly carried away as I go through the photos of GROWISER - a most inspiring, nearly mystical place I visited with my pal David Perry a couple weeks ago. I posted a few images that I created as banners a couple days ago here, and confess to getting lost in art filters today.

I will likely post more photos in a day or two but had extra fun with the images of the mountain lady slipper orchid (Cypripedium montanum) that can be found in the woods there. While 'working the scene', admiring the flowers, waiting for complete stillness, Dave took my photo. I had no idea he was even watching me - I was so absorbed in the bliss; but I am delighted he did - it tells this story better than my photos.

And Dave tells great stories on Substack. This link (if it works) is his own wonderful of the ladyslipper story he has called "The Yoda of Wildflowers"
https://davideperry.substack.com/p/the-yoda-of-wildflowers?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

06/27/2024

Proud to be a sponsor of Pacific Horticulture's Design Futurist award. And we get to photograph the award winner as a prize for them - and new content for us. 🤫 If you know designers in the Pacific Region let them know. Great jury.
https://pacifichorticulture.org/design-futurist/

At Summer-Dry we celebrate resilient plants and gardens in summer-dry or mediterranean climates

05/16/2024

Reviewing my file of May photos in the Desert Garden at the Huntington for my summer-dry Instagram feed. (you are not following .gardens ?!)

That is one heck of a garden 😃

04/27/2024

The monkey-hand shrubs are flowering ! See the blog post to understand the science behind this intergeneric cross.
https://summer-dry.com/x-chiranthomontodendron-lenzii-whats-in-a-name/

01/25/2024

Sumacs are current or former members of the genus Rhus, notorious for those species that spread aggressively by suckers or by seed (e.g., staghorn sumac, African sumac) as well as for those that through mere touch can bring on a ferocious rash (poison ivy, poison oak). Yet there are well-behaved and beneficent sumacs too. Several of these are exceptionally fine shrubs native to mild-winter, summer-dry southern California, Mexico, and parts of the American southwest. Read more in new blog post:
https://summer-dry.com/some-mild-winter-summer-dry-sumacs/

11/14/2023

Every month Nora writes a new feature for The Summer-Dry website about a plant that deserves special recognition. This month features Correa or Australian Fuchsia.
https://summer-dry.com/australian-fuchsia/

"Plants native to southwestern Western Australia are well known to gardeners in other mild, winter-wet, summer-dry climates. Less widely known, perhaps, are plants endemic to southeastern Australia, where topography and climate are more diverse. The Australian fuchsias (Correa species) are native almost exclusively to this part of the world..."

08/23/2023

Garden Design Tip 002 - Grasses.
As the landscape dries up and we move from late summer into autumn, grasses start to take prominence in the garden. In this California native plant garden, Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer Grass) is beautifully framed by the manzanita placed by the path leading into the garden.
The Muhlenbergia is a large showy perennial bunch grass and becomes a focal point among the smaller meadow grasses.
Who needs lawn ?!
https://summer-dry.com

08/22/2023

Newest Blog post on Amaryllis begins:
"Just as daffodils are the classic heralds of spring, the large, usually pink, trumpet-shaped flowers of Amaryllis belladonna are a sure sign of impending fall."
https://summer-dry.com/amaryllis-belladonna/

07/26/2023

Garden Design Tip 001: This small Los Angeles back yard has a large wooden truss pergola set back from the house, past the native plant garden with its small bubbling fountain. This creates a garden room to look back to the house seemingly set in the wild. The red arrow points to the same post, seen from opposite views.

05/19/2023

Agave striata is featured in our newest blog post (link in bio) which begins: "There is a place in almost every garden for the calming effect of architectural or sculptural plants" photo in Craig Quist garden Portland OR
https://summer-dry.com/agave-striata/

04/27/2023

The new blog post, Is it Okay to Feed the Birds? begins: "Birds are what bring a garden to life and gardeners have always known this."
https://summer-dry.com/is-it-okay-to-feed-the-birds/

03/13/2023

Bulbines and Bulbinella are often confused. Nora unravels them in a new blog post.

"The confusion surrounding the two genera derives in part from the fluidity of their taxonomic status. Formerly placed in the lily family, both bulbines and bulbinellas are now considered members of the Asphodelaceae along with red-hot poker (Kniphofia), which they superficially resemble"

https://summer-dry.com/bulbines-and-bulbinellas/

02/08/2023

How is climate change affecting our gardens ?

New Blog post:
https://summer-dry.com/april-showers-bring-may-flowers-or-do-they/

"So what is the conscientious gardener to do? Is it too early to fertilize, too late to cut back? The best advice is to do what gardeners have always done. Take your cues from your garden –the weather, the plants, the look, feel, and scent of the soil. Stay flexible in your schedule for planting, weeding, pruning, and feeding."

What is happening in your garden ?

01/17/2023

Our latest blog post is about ferns:
https://summer-dry.com/ferns-for-summer-dry-climates/

"A surprising number of ferns are native to arid or semi-arid climates. These usually display one or more adaptations to xeric conditions, such as small leaflets with reduced surface area, thickened or curled-under leaflet margins that protect the spore-producing sori, an overall silvery gray-green coloration, or leathery, hairy, scaly, or waxy leaflets and stems for photoprotection and reduced water loss."

01/16/2023

Have you subscribed to our monthly newsletter ? A quick read includes recent blog post, seasonal garden tip and always some eye candy.

January newsletter is online:
https://summer-dry.com/summer-dry-january-2023-newsletter/

With tip on Darwinia - Australian mountain bell is a small evergreen shrub with needlelike green leaves and pendant clusters of small flowers surrounded by showy pink or red and creamy white bracts in midwinter and spring. Rare and threatened in its Western Australia native habitat, it makes a good rock garden or container plant in sun to part shade.

12/12/2022

Latest blog post, more on grasses: Environmental Benefits of Perennial Grasses:
https://summer-dry.com/environmental-benefits-of-perennial-grasses/

11/18/2022

A great time of year to be noticing grasses and no genus is more garden worthy than Muhlenbergia. New blog post:
https://summer-dry.com/muhlenbergia-grasses/

Here, Muhlenbergia capillaris, Pink muhly. More in the blog post

10/29/2022

New blog post on the website about Gingko trees as they begin to color up. Are you signed up for the newsletter ?😉
https://summer-dry.com/ginkgo/

10/10/2022

Drought loving California native plants, White Sage, Salvia apiana with silver gray foliage with California fuchsia, Epilobium canum

10/03/2022

in the new blog post about scented Geraniums:

"Scented geraniums are small, tender, fast-growing, semi-woody subshrubs native to summer-dry, winter-wet climates of southern Africa. They are easily grown where winters are mild and where, if summers are hot, some afternoon shade can be provided. Because of their strong fragrance, scented geraniums are generally avoided by deer."
https://summer-dry.com/scented-geraniums/

09/26/2022

These are the 4 most recent Instagram posts for .gardens. Which do you guess had the most reach ?

08/10/2022

ALERT ! California Water Board is deciding how much water will be allowed for trees. State water use efficiency standards are now being developed and I wonder if they are considering the impact of fire (much less shade, cooling, habitat, etc.) in the calculations of how much water trees actually need to be healthy and hydrated for fire safety.

A public meeting this Friday afternoon Aug 12 "The purpose of this workshop is to present the State Water Board staff analysis and consideration of the potential impacts of water use efficiency standards on natural and developed parklands and urban tree health"

There is a public comment opportunity. Please consider attending. I can't be there

https://tinyurl.com/2v7auf32

Photo: Central Valley rancher preparing to flood irrigate alfalfa

08/02/2022

Another name change - big one. ALL Pennisetum are now Cenchrus, and have been for at least 8 years to 12 years depending on who gets credit or blame.

Yes, all Pennisetum, 'Tall Tails' below, and even pearl millet, P. glaucum - now Cenchrus glaucum

"Recent molecular research has confirmed that Cenchrus and Pennisetum (Gramineae) should be united. For nomenclatural, not practical, reasons, Cenchrus is accepted as the correct name"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276011461_A_revision_of_Cenchrus_incl_Pennisetum_Gramineae_in_Malesia_with_some_general_nomenclatural_notes

07/29/2022

Three name changes in a row as I edit this Sonoma County garden. It turns out Russian Sage is a sage after all: Perovskia atriplicifolia is now Salvia yangii.

Other photos included in this project on fire safety also attached. This home in Glen Ellen burned down in Nuns fire 2017.

Stipa gigantea is now Celtica gigantea and Guara lindheimeri is now Oenothera lindheimeri

07/28/2022

Great summer-dry perennial: Oenothera lindheimeri which many of us still call Gaura lindheimeri,

07/26/2022

Name change alert ! Celtica gigantea most of us know as Stipa gigantea, Giant Feather Grass in country garden garden, Sonoma

07/24/2022

I suddenly realized I have not been at all active on this account, even though Ihave been photographing a LOT of new summer-dry gardens, such as this one in my hometown by Michelle Derviss. Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' with Calamagrostis foliosa California native grass,