Other SoCal gardeners have recently waxed rhapsodic about the
June Gloom we're currently enjoying and I'm following suit. Last year at this time, the marine layer was noticeably absent but this year the foggy blanket of May Gray spread into June, keeping temperatures down and providing the plants with natural moisture that's otherwise lacking during our long dry period. The marine layer has been particularly thick here this past week, at least until this morning. Usually, it clears by late morning or early afternoon but it's extended into the late afternoon on some days and, this past Tuesday, it never really cleared at all. Our roof-top weather station even recorded a total of 3/100ths of an inch of "rain" over the course of the day.
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| The garden takes on an other-worldly feel |
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| Neighbors become nearly invisible |
The fog was so thick that the Los Angeles Harbor below us entirely disappeared.
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| This was the view looking southeast from our back garden one morning this week |
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| And this is the usual view from that same vantage point |
The gloom didn't bother the birds at all.
But I wonder how the spiders felt about it?
I've read a bit about
fog harvesting as a means of collecting moisture in dry climates. The droplets collected on spider webs and plants provides an object lesson on how the technology works.
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| The blooms on the Agapanthus are even prettier |
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| Respite from the heat of early summer and an extra dose of moisture extends the normally short life of Aquilegia flowers |
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| Even succulents like Cotyledon look better with diamonds |
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| The buds of Globularia look entirely different decked out in water droplets |
Not everyone likes our June Gloom. When I asked my neighbor if she was enjoying the cool, damp weather, she thought my question was facetious but, in my view, the longer the marine layer remains in place, the better. When it fades out, our temperatures soar and gardening is increasingly limited to early morning and early evening hours. Dare we hope for
"No Sky July" and "Fogust"?
Wherever you are, I hope your weekend weather is just the way you like it.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
