The path forward is not always clear.
Cumulative rainfall here for the last 90 days is normally 10.6 inches. We are 4.12 inches above normal and that amount is growing by the moment.
The Path
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Tag Archives: rain
Finding Nourishment
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
It is Friday, 62 degrees Fahrenheit at midday, with showers and a bit of fog after a morning of heavy rain. During one brief lull I stepped outdoors into drizzle and onto squishy earth for a few much-needed minutes of garden nourishment.
Shasta season has long been over but fresh blooms appear sporadically.
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
My mother’s cousin Virgie’s everlasting sweet pea, originally passed along to me decades ago, has had its best year ever in the 19 years growing in this garden.
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
This red salvia is not particularly showy but hummingbirds stop over on most days.
Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage)
Dahlias seem to be trying to make up for lost time.
Dahlias
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia
Dahlia
Zinnias, usually the mainstay of my summer garden, remind me I have to find a way to rabbit-proof the borders, a daunting task.
Zinnia
This week P. at Petals and Wings (blog and Instagram) generously shared lavender irises with me. I am so excited to see them flower and experience their fragrance next spring, but first the ground needs to dry so I can get them planted. Meanwhile a white reblooming iris is getting battered by rain today.
Iris germanica ‘Immortality’
Bees enjoy spiderwort but I have to work to keep it from taking over the garden.
Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
I planted this itea four years ago. Its presence has been decidedly understated until now.
Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)
A native purchased at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in 2012 this rudbeckia produces small, misshapen flowers, yet it shouts happy to be here.
Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)
This salvia is one of my favorites. It has largely run rampant in one section of the garden, but is easy to remove. That’s the best kind of plant to have I think.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Silvery foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ has been attractive for months. Behind it Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ adds a colorful layer.
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood), Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood), Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
The jewel-like hue of Butterfly Bush is even more dramatic in the rain.
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Columbine makes a nice ground cover throughout portions of the garden.
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Exceptionally colorful this year the dogwood is forming a nice crop of berries.
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
For now the garden still offers plenty of color. Hope you are finding nourishment in your own way today.
The Tuesday View: 28th June 2016
Today I am joining Cathy at Words and Herbs for the Tuesday View, sharing a weekly peek of the same view of the garden. Again I am showing the meditation circle at early morning, around 8:40 a.m.
When I arose the light was rosy and a bit strange. My mind immediately went to taking pictures while the coffee was brewing but the camera was upstairs and my first goal was to pour coffee. My husband for most of our 39 years of marriage brought me coffee in bed but for the past year I have begun doing that for him. Life is a balance you know.
Meanwhile a gentle rain started falling and soon a heavier one.
The Tuesday View: 28th June 2016
Thanks to Cathy at Words and Herbs for hosting the Tuesday View. Check out her featured view and those of other gardeners.
Seeing Green (Irish Eyes)
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ Against A Brown Clematis Vine
Yesterday
Distressed from heat and drought the first yellow flowers of Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ are opening with petals already streaked with brown. This cultivar gets its name from the green center.
A plant division taken last year is faring better than its parent near the garden’s southern entrance, where it waves above the four-foot gate.
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’
Yesterday I explored the garden and though the heat has been keeping the gardener away, there is activity in this ecosystem.
Today
This morning a steady rain sounds against the roof. From the upstairs window I watch goldfinches dart between spent stalks of verbena and echinacea, supplying bright sunny color to the gray morning.
Early into the record-setting heat of July, the garden became quickly desiccated. The change was dramatic and yet, from the window there is green again in the garden. Plants stand refreshed. Will this rain be restorative? For a time I think so, but the rain stops.
Almanac
July 3 – 8, 2012. This area of North Carolina set a record for having six consecutive days with temperatures above 100 degrees F. (Most days were hotter and heat indexes were around 110.)
July 8’s 105-degree day tied the record for highest temperature ever recorded for this area and beat the previous record of 103 set in 1977 for the date July 8.
Despite last Friday’s big thunder and wind event that sent two trees crashing down in the garden, July has been seriously hot and dry. That afternoon storm brought an hour of much needed rain, but the severe heat wave continued through the weekend. The heat wave finally broke on Monday leaving the area feeling noticeably cooler with highs in the mid-eighties, even bringing occasional, spotty showers.
Winter and spring were marked by abundant rainfall that left the garden lush and verdant. Rains stopped around mid-June while temperatures steadily rose. Early into July’s record-setting heat the garden responded by shutting down. Now rain is forecast for a couple of days.
Still Raining
A few brief periods of sun punctuated the day, but mostly there was rain and very heavy rain at times. Still waiting out thunderstorm and tornado watches for another couple of hours and listening to the rain come and go against the windows.
Early this morning the meditation garden was looking refreshed as the rain cleansed away some of the yellow pine pollen that had settled on everything this week.
Meditation Garden On Rainy Spring Morning
pbmGarden 