I found the third crape myrtle and it is a survivor. Warms my heart. It has lots of new growth, even if it is not ready to bloom. Next year, it will not have to fight the overgrown grass and i will not have to search for it.
I dug out the grass around the healthiest crape myrtle at the far end of the back yard. A water line feeds into a sprinkler at the base of that plant. Notwithstanding the health of the plant, it does not need to compete for water, and we do not need to dedicate water to growing weeds.
I applied the last of the mulch, augmented by coffee grounds, around the two oleanders and three crape myrtles in the back yard. Coffee grounds are a useful fertilizer when mixed in doses with other mulch. I created basins around the base of the two newest oleanders and deep watered them. The two weeks that we are in Europe, we will determine whether the oleanders are truly drought tolerant or established enough to be drought tolerant.
I also deep watered the vegetable garden, even though we asked Betty to water it while we are away. MJ found cherry tomatoes in fruit at the base of the two plants and a new squash ripening on the vine.
A Year at the Snake 