A Nor’easter rolled into town over the weekend, dropping significant amounts of rain. We were fortunate that Hurricane Joaquin decided to head out to sea rather follow the Nor’easter through New Jersey. The fear was that it would become another super storm like Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Too much rain is as bad for a xeriscape as too little rain is for a regular garden. Drought tolerant plants cannot handle too much moisture and will literally drown. I was eager to see how the herb garden, which is a xeriscape, at Rutgers Gardens fared in the torrential rains.
Much to my delight, the plants looked fine. In fact, the yarrow and the white horehound, which are in their first year of growth, took advantage of the extra moisture and grew considerably.
Out in the annual display beds the eucalyptus, which is a water hog like willow, literally exploded with growth.