Weather

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Alisdair

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Re: Weather
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2012, 03:40:36 PM »
Fascinating pictures, John, almost unbelievable - the church looks so relatively unscathed!
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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Marilyn

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Re: Weather
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2012, 11:50:10 AM »
@John - Hot Dring gave me a proper laugh just now! :D Lovely pictures.
And keeping with the topic of the thread, what news on everyone's weather?
Here, after good rain at the end of November, it has been dry almost constantly for over two months, with above-average temperatures. Two weeks ago we had a some useful rainfall over a couple of days, but that has been it.
Can anyone proffer thoughts on irrigation in winter, any precautions or recommendations?
I work in hotel and private gardens, promoting sustainable landscape management in the mediterranean climate through the use of diverse, beautiful and appropriate plants. At home, I garden on two balconies containing mostly succulents.

Umbrian

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Re: Weather
« Reply #17 on: January 31, 2012, 08:13:59 AM »
Very little rain here in Umbria from September through to now although further north and to the south there has been disastrous amounts at times with flooding and landslips. Daytime temperatures well above normal with clear blue skies and warm sunshine. The local farmers are very worried not to mention the gardeners. Our isolated old farmhouse is served by a spring for house water and this dried up last June for only the second time in the nearly 14 years we have been here. Needless to say it is still dry. Thank goodness we sank a well which we are able to switch to in emergencies like this but we are even worrying about that source should the dry weather continue because surely the water table must be falling all the time? ??? :(
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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Alisdair

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Re: Weather
« Reply #18 on: January 31, 2012, 02:13:52 PM »
Has been pretty dry here in southern Greece, but some rain in the last few weeks. Very cold weather sweeping down from eastern Europe, in northern Greece early this month temp down to minus 25C - not seen there for 30 years. And another bout of cold weather now, snow flurries in Athens today, and even down here right by the coast I see snow on the hills about the house. Our temp down to plus 4 last night. Still drier than usual for the time of year, and spring bulbs all later than usual. But gorgeous Anemone coronaria down at the southern end of the Mani peninsula, where the populations include very deep-coloured forms.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

pamela

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Re: Weather
« Reply #19 on: January 31, 2012, 07:11:54 PM »
We have had virtually no rain here in the Costa Blanca since last September. Very intermittent autumn rains.  I think it has been the driest winter we have experienced in 7 years. Our bulbs (Narcissus tazetta mainly and some hyacinths) look a bit sad, no blooms on the horizon and the leaves are drooping somewhat.   But the Iris germanica is loaded with buds and Crocosmia lucifer and Chasmanthe floribunda are strongly flowering.  We have had a serious winter cut back in the last week something which we do every 3-4 years. and I was hoping for some rain.  The earth is quite dry and in fact I brought out the hose to dampen some parts of the ground today where I have young plants. We have frost forecast inland here in the next few days, but I doubt if it will affect us as we are only 300m from the coast. But still, I have covered the Plumeria!
Jávea, Costa Blanca, Spain
Min temp 5c max temp 38c  Rainfall 550 mm 

"Who passes by sees the leaves;
 Who asks, sees the roots."
     - Charcoal Seller, Madagascar

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Casalima

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Re: Weather
« Reply #20 on: January 31, 2012, 11:58:58 PM »
Up in north Portugal we are due to have drizzle tonight and showers tomorrow and then maybe some rain next week!! Otherwise like Marilyn down south: no real rain for ages. In fact, according a newspaper article published this afternoon, Portugal is already suffering from a "meteorological drought", with the rainfall in January having been only a seventh of normal rainfall.
Chloe, Ponte de Lima, North Portugal, zone 9+

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Ina

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Re: Weather
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2012, 02:38:22 PM »
Here in my hometown Arta in Epirus it snowed!!! Last time I remember snow it was 20years ago!! Unfortunatelly it melted and turned into a slur, but it was nice to look at in the morning!!
I live in the west of Greece and have a small garden. I love flowers but I have few in my garden. I usually take pictures of flowers when I hike. I started making a blog with the flora that I see on my trips.

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Alisdair

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Re: Weather
« Reply #22 on: February 03, 2012, 09:44:05 AM »
Helena and I had a slightly hair-raising drive along the Peloponnese motorway yesterday, to Athens airport on our way home, as it had a few inches of snow up in the mountains and the police were blocking off all the trucks, but did allow cars. We'd been keeping an eye on the excellent University of Athens forecasts so were forewarned and had left lots of extra time to crawl along reasonably safely, and did catch our plane.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

Daisy

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Re: Weather
« Reply #23 on: February 06, 2012, 09:57:02 AM »
Here in Crete we have had mixed weather so far this winter.
Plenty of windy days, some of them with rain. ;D
Then there has been a few warm sunny days as well, when I have been able to try to catch up with things in the garden.
So far this winter we have had 323.6mm or 12.75inches of rain.
Those figures are for the whole island though. Here in the east there will have been a lot less. :'(
The wind has been the predominant feature of the winter. For most of January, It has been a cold northerly wind. Time to curl up beside the log fire and catch up on my reading.
This last week though, it has turned and is coming from the south, off of North Africa.
We call this wind a Gaddafi, as it is strong, blustery and full of rubbish.
To-day it is very strong. Two of my pots of Narcissus odorus, which are full of buds, have been blown off of the wall.
As I sit here at the computer, I can see out of the window, a small ship moored in the bay below.. It looks like the local coaster. The wind is catching it and turning it broadside. I would't like to be out at sea on a day like this.
Daisy :)
Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

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Marilyn

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Re: Weather
« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2012, 05:18:50 PM »
Daisy, your rainfall sounds like real luxury! It's no wonder your garden looks so beautiful :D

Here, still no rain but a sharp overnight frost at the weekend has left many soft leaves drooping - Hibiscus, Dombeya, Pelargonium, Schefflera. Worst, of course, in the cold shady pockets which don't heat up quickly in the morning (of which our nursery area is unfortunately one). I switched the irrigation on for the sub-tropical type exotics and the lawns at the weekend, unaware of the risk of frost, but so far this does not seem to have resulted in more damage than elsewhere.

Casalima (I am intrigued to know more about the different gardening conditions in northern Portugal, by the way!) - I was checking the Portuguese meteorology site today, almost the whole country is in weak to moderate drought, with some parts already reaching severe drought. If we don't get more rain this month, I dread to think what things will look like by summer.
I work in hotel and private gardens, promoting sustainable landscape management in the mediterranean climate through the use of diverse, beautiful and appropriate plants. At home, I garden on two balconies containing mostly succulents.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Weather
« Reply #25 on: February 13, 2012, 11:36:39 PM »
The Evretou Reservoir (our local one) began overflowing down the spillway  the other day - for the first time since it was built, which was in 1968 [correction: 1986 - thanks John]. As a consequence, the river in the valley below us now has a strong steady flow. It seems strange to see it like this, after years of merely seasonal trickles.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2012, 02:44:50 PM by MikeHardman »
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John J

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Re: Weather
« Reply #26 on: February 14, 2012, 01:30:50 PM »
Good to see, Mike. The Germasogeia on the outskirts of Limassol is just beginning to trickle over the spillway. The last time it overflowed, in 2004, seemed to surprise a few people, especially those who had parked their cars in the car park that had been created in the dry bed near the coast, just above where the river discharged into the sea in the days before the dam was built. Those members who attended the AGM in 2009 might remember seeing the car park across the road from the main hotel we used, The Miramare.
Sorry to be pedantic but I believe the Evretou Dam was one of the later ones and opened in 1986.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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MikeHardman

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Re: Weather
« Reply #27 on: February 14, 2012, 02:44:10 PM »
quite right - typo - 1986 - thanks John
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John J

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Re: Weather
« Reply #28 on: March 02, 2012, 01:22:03 PM »
The photo of the church in the abandoned village of Alassa that I took today may not be as dramatic as the one from 2004 but there's time yet and the snow melt from the mountains still to come.
The other photos are of a Pay and Display car park that the authorities deemed it a good idea to create in the dry riverbed of the Germasogia river following its damming. It was flooded in 2004 and is in full spate again this year. It empties into the sea about 100 m further down from this spot. I don't think there's much danger of anyone parking in the entrance to the guy's garage, unless it's with a boat.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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Alisdair

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Re: Weather
« Reply #29 on: March 02, 2012, 06:37:07 PM »
Extraordinary pictures John, thanks! (Especially when the UK papers most days have at least one picture of a dried-up reservoir....)
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society