If there’s one advantage of winter and autumn rains it’s that I can gleefully turn off the reticulation system and let nature take care of my plants. Well, that’s what one would expect, anyway!

The reality, unfortunately, is far different. It’s quite easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security believing your plants’ needs are catered for and that there’s little for you to do. Wrong! As I found out when I had to throw out a few dead plants this week.

The source of devastation was quickly identified in not too dissimilar fashion from episodes of CSI – basic detective work. I observed the dead plant and after drawing a chalk line for further investigation noticed that the soil was bone dry while other plants, mere metres away, were dripping with condensation. Then I looked up and the obvious hit me like the proverbial “ton of bricks”. My plants were being shielded from the rain thanks to the eaves of our roof line.

Here was I resting upon my laurels completely at ease and enjoying the dripping upon our tin roof. Sadly, the rain was so loud that I didn’t hear the screams of those poor plants dying of thirst and missed their final gasps as they slipped away to “plant heaven”.

How could I have been so thoughtless? How did I miss their hour of need? So many questions were racing through my head and each one started with “What if?”

If only I could turn back time…

It’s heart-wrenching even to admit this and after so many posts on watering you would think I should have at least got it right myself! Such shame.
Needless to say, I’m now outside watering in the rain. The ignorant observer stares at me in disbelief but I know that my garden needs me – come rain, hail or shine.