When we were making plans for The Arboretum last summer, we never even considered the possibility of receiving 25 inches of rain within a three week period! Our Fourth of July weekend monsoon, followed by Hurricane Dolly's winds and rains were a one-two punch. On the bright side, we know without a shadow of a doubt where our drainage issues lie.
Braving the hoards of mosquitoes, Floyd has worked diligently in the garden trying to undo the storm's damage to our Native Forest. He's checking out a Retama,
Parkinsenis aculeata. 
Elizabeth surveyed the Texas Mountain Laurels,
Sophora secundaflora, and decided to take a wait and see approach. Mountain Laurels have a sparse root system, thus, heavy winds can do considerable damage to them. But, they also don't like to "get their feet wet"; we'll hope as the ground dries, some new leaves will flush.
We did have to say "adios" to this Brasil,
Condalia hookeri. We had been babying her since she sustained wind damage last Spring.
This Wild Olive,
Cordia boissierri is another tree that doesn't like wet feet - and 25 inches of rain in July was more than she wanted.
But this is fresh growth on another of the Wild Olives in The Arboretum. We'll just have to wait and see how all the trees recover from Dolly. Even though we chose to plant drought tolerant trees, the fact that they are native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley is a plus!
Braving the hoards of mosquitoes, Floyd has worked diligently in the garden trying to undo the storm's damage to our Native Forest. He's checking out a Retama, Parkinsenis aculeata. 
Elizabeth surveyed the Texas Mountain Laurels, Sophora secundaflora, and decided to take a wait and see approach. Mountain Laurels have a sparse root system, thus, heavy winds can do considerable damage to them. But, they also don't like to "get their feet wet"; we'll hope as the ground dries, some new leaves will flush.
We did have to say "adios" to this Brasil, Condalia hookeri. We had been babying her since she sustained wind damage last Spring. 
This Wild Olive, Cordia boissierri is another tree that doesn't like wet feet - and 25 inches of rain in July was more than she wanted. 
But this is fresh growth on another of the Wild Olives in The Arboretum. We'll just have to wait and see how all the trees recover from Dolly. Even though we chose to plant drought tolerant trees, the fact that they are native to the Lower Rio Grande Valley is a plus!
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