It’s been one very odd summer here in central North Carolina. Normally June, July, and August are very hot and on the dry side. Rain comes from occasional thunderstorms, but for the most part, plants are drying up and the grass is turning brown by mid-July. I generally have to water my flowers and shrubs every few days to keep them alive, and it often feels like a losing battle. In a normal summer, I water the plants in pots every day when the high temperature goes over 90 and every other day when it’s below.

Not this year. Without trying to actually track it, I can say that it seemed like it rained 2 days out of 3 through July and the beginning of August. That was mostly in the form of thunderstorms, which tended to come in waves most afternoons or evenings. Prolonged downpours were common.

Checking with Weatherspark, I found Greensboro averages just under 3.5 inches of rain in June, July, and August. According to drought.gov stats we’ve had three times as much rain as normal. Raindrop.farm  shows we’ve had 7.8 inches of rain in June and 11.42 in July. Our yearly rainfall total is well above the average rainfall total for the year.

The hoses and sprinklers have been sitting idle this year. I haven’t had to water my gardens or shrubs at all. I think I’ve watered the pots once.

As a result, the grass is still green, the flowers are blooming prodigiously, and even the roses, which are usually looking  half-dead by this time of year, are green and still producing blooms. On the other hand, the weeds are also thriving and threatening to take over parts of the flower beds. I haven’t been able to keep up with them, given how few days I’ve been to get out and work in the garden.

And, as usual, it’s raining as I’m writing this.