How quickly we forget . . .

There are certain weather-related events that I won't ever forget:

• The drought of 1988 when I had just started to garden and to give the the weather my full attention. 
• Or Madison's 100 inches of snow the winter of 2007/08 (below)

• Or the year the big Austrian pine twisted in a winter storm and came down on Mark's beautiful fence without damaging it all. 

• This will be the year when we got 10+ inches of rain in one day and 14 inches in a month. 

While these numbers are memorable I'd already forgotten that it rained to a greater or lesser degree on 23 out of 29 days in May of 2017.

These stats seem to suggest that when it rains it's heavier and more frequent. Whether these numbers are just fluke occurrences or the harbingers of climate change, only time will tell — a very long time. But these numbers also suggest that I need to pay more attention to what's happening in my own back yard and to keep better records of these weather events than just random blog entries. 

October's rainfall total as of Monday, Oct. 8th, 2018: 4.46 inches (11.32 cm.) — or a month's typical amount in a matter of days. At the moment, this seems to be our new normal. I'm worried that the new plants I put in the garden this fall may rot before they've had a chance to root.  

Comments

[Lisa at Greenbow]

...here I am still dragging a hose around, in October. So weird. We haven't had a drop of rain yet this October. I have planted up the Circle Garden and I am out there watering up a storm. Geez.... Will this weather ever settle? Or as you ask, is this the new normal? When will it ever be the best time to plant?? So many questions, so few answers.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Wow, you're having a soggy autumn. Hope the newly-planted gems don't rot!

[Linda Brazill]

We are supposed to get frost this week which should mean some Indian summer weather, but I am really doubtful that is going to happen this year. Most of my toad lilies are still in bud and have not flowered. Not sure if they will this year. So confusing.

[Linda Brazill]

Things I planted were of all sizes including a bare root Molly the Witch peony, all from Far Reaches Farm. More than the money, I just don't want to have to replant another year later because things rotted. Ugh!

[Kris P]

I hope your new plants take the additional rain in stride. Have you considered getting a personal weather station? The data is useful, if sometimes depressing (in our case anyway). The idea of 4+ inches of rain in a typical month is something I can't even conceive of, although I'll count myself satisfied if we get "normal" rain this winter (about 15 inches).

[Linda Brazill]

My husband got me a weather station which I barely used. We were just talking about it and that I should give it another try. It feels like a tease to even mention our high rainfall given how many places are suffering from lack of rain. Seems like we are all getting too much or too little of our ideal weather conditions; or at least what we used to get in the good years.

[Susie]

That's a lot of snow there Linda! Wow. Each year sticks in my mind also as the year we had no rain or the year we had too much. WOuld be good to keep consistent records, so good for you.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Weirdness, for sure. I'm so glad we had a bright, warm day today to dry things out a little. The soil, however, is so totally saturated...with much more rain to come in the days ahead. Not fun.