Sometimes, I long for a grapefruit.

Just for something a little different.



It's raining. There's thunder and lightning. Fifteen days since our last precipitation. It's 63 degrees.

It's raining.

Started about noon. One heavy downpour that lasted about 5 minutes. Since then, it's been a mostly slow, steady rain that's wetting the ground in preparation for what's coming.



The yellow blob is headed right for us. Good sleeping weather.

Almost 4 inches.

That's the total from the storms that moved through the past two days. Last night, flash flood warnings were going off all over the place. The rain was relentless. Even during the light spells, it was coming down sideways. The yard is refreshed. People are nicer. It's humid, muggy, and 81 degrees.

Sweet Rain.

It started last night about 9pm. I was at work. A small shower passed over. During the last 12 hours, we've received about an inch and a half of rain. I think the Muskogee Crape Myrtle has put out new growth already. Plants that have been wilted for weeks are showing improvement. More storms likely this afternoon. It's 77 degrees.

1/4 inch

A rain shower passed over some time in the night. I heard it pounding against the window. It was dark. The clock was on the other side of the bed. I went back to sleep.

It ain't easy being green.

Especially when there's no rain and the temperature is in the mid 90s. This morning, we received a break from the dominant weather patterns. It was raining, complete with thunder and lightning, when I woke up this morning. A nice steady rain fell for at least an hour after I sat down with my first cup of coffee. If the forecast holds true, there will be more this afternoon.

I wondered about the yard. I'm amazed by the plants that have survived the summer so far. Some are past their bloom time, but their foliage is lush and green. Others are just getting started. The hostas on the North side of the house are about to pop. White and purple blooms will close out July as August settles in.



The rain will help, no doubt.



The banana tree I rescued from the neighbor's leaf pile is doing well.



More blackberry lilies have appeared. I'm thinking I need a semi-tropical garden space in the yard.



It's 77 degrees and cloudy. The high today should reach the mid 80s. It's muggy and humid.

Rain

It had to happen eventually. The rain started about 4:30pm. A few pops of lightning were followed by rolling thunder. The raindrops were huge at first. Within a minute, the concrete was a half inch of water. It continued for a couple of hours, light showers alternating with heavy downpours. The weather station claims almost 1" of rain fell. A light drizzle passed by again overnight. More storms expected this evening and much of next week.

On Friday morning, I spent some more time in the garden planting out rooted cuttings of Black Knight butterfly bush. I took the cuttings from the one I gave Robert more than a month ago. The roots were long, white and healthy. The cuttings surely enjoyed the moisture. I planted 12 of these around the backyard and in the Neighbor's corner. One way or another, I will have that chainlink fence blocked from my view within a couple years. Good thing, too. I have plans for the patio thanks to a picture I saw in a book last week at work. It's not going to be too grand, but it will be a nice place to have a martini after work in the evenings once the mosquitoes have gone to bed. A small stainless steel grill will be included, as will some sort of sitting accoutrements. I've already picked out the location. The invasive plants will be removed this fall.



Not much is happening in the garden these days. It just keeps doing what it does. Flowers open, seeds form, plants die, and new ones spring up to take their places. More notes are being made as time progresses. Joe Pye Weed is just starting to bloom. Rooted cuttings were planted out on Friday too. I guess they were done last year when I finally got around to planting them. I thought they had died. They were just resting.



I've eaten a few Black Krim tomatoes this week. I've saved seeds already. I really like the flavor, even if the skins were a little tough. I'm thinking the lack of rain made them that way. The Romas rotted again. I won't be growing those next year.



A single clematis bloom was open this morning on the perennial bed trellis. The spring flush was beautiful. Perhaps the showers last week and the ones yesterday gave it a push.



It's 81 degrees and partly cloudy. Everything looks refreshed. Roses have been pruned and will be sending out new growth for the fall spectacular. My vacation begins tomorrow.

Sunflower and Peaches.

It's 79 degrees. The temperatures have been much cooler the past couple of days. By the end of the weekend, we'll be back into the 90s with no rain in sight. We did collect about an inch or more over the past two days. It was nice.

More thoughts on editing.

As I stroll around with the third cup of coffee of the day, taking a break from cleaning the mess in the basement, I'm making notes of plants I really like and want to keep. Daylilies, mostly brown and crispy now, will remain. Of course, the large clumps of stargazers will still be there next year. I may divide some this summer once the blooms fade. The fragrance is heady and thick today.



I watered a bit on Monday, and noticed the first buds of the Zuni crape myrtle. This one is supposed to be a small tree, about 12' tall when mature.



Helenium mixes well with my favorites. Instead of flopping like the Black Eyed Susans do, they've remained upright and proud. I'll divide these and move them around to add more color to rather blah areas.



I want more coneflowers too. Lots more coneflowers. And a few more coneflowers.



Agastache comes in several varieties already in my garden. I'd like to actually see some of the new ones that I wintersowed, but they're still tiny. Some haven't grown at all since I planted them out months ago.



At least it rained last night and this morning. The weatherguy says we got about 1/4", but I know there was more that fell in my yard. It's actually drizzling now. This afternoon and during the evening, we've got more chances for storms. Bring it on. The naked rain dance worked.

It's 77 degrees. The high today might reach the mid-80s. What a relief.

Summer Storm.

It's raining. There was only a 30% chance today, not really enough to mention. But a cloud formed and brought its friends. The storm is moving Southeast, slowly. The rain should last until about 10pm. I am thankful. The garden should be refreshed in the morning.

Growth

The fragrant border - May 16.



June 7.



The upper potager - May 18.



June 7.



The Perennial Bed - April 30.



June 7.



A container of sedums and sago palms by the basement door - May 18.



June 7.



I love to watch the gardens grow. I no longer take a picture a week of any area in the yard. The backyard is not filling in the way I expected. There was no huge flush of flowers once the crimson clover went to seed. The meadow bed does have tiny seedlings, probably weeds. A few cosmos have popped up here and there. I'll be working on that in the fall and next spring, moving, dividing, sowing more seeds. It's a work in progress.

More rain last night as thunderstorms rolled through the area. Within an hour, 1/4" of rain fell. Lightning flashed and the thunder rolled. Sleep came easy. It's 64 degrees this morning. 84 is the expected high.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

After those weeks of no rain in early May, I was wondering if we would ever break the cycle. Now, we've entered a new loop. The humidity from the previous day's rainfall forms new storm clouds which dump more rain the next day. As temperatures rise into the low 90s later this week, the chance of rain increases every day. There's no real end in sight with the next 5 days showing at least 20% chance, with 40% being the norm. Yesterday, another 1/2" of rain fell. Storms predicted this afternoon. The high will reach the mid 80s. It's 72 degrees, clear, and muggy.

My only blooming hydrangea seems happy. It's planted on the North side of the house and receives no direct sunlight.



Fragrant lilies purchased after Easter last year are blooming.



A new variety of cosmos is blooming. I'll be saving and scattering seeds to fill in the blank spots all summer.



Pink bee balm by the street is blooming. Carla's red bee balm, dug from my yard, is just starting to open. Mine is waiting.



The recent rains have sent the brugmansia into overdrive. All three returning yellow/orange plants from last year are about 2' tall. The leaves are getting large, just like last year.



There's a dehumidifier in the basement. I've got it running on a three hour cycle. The water is drying, slowly. Today, I'll be picking up the vinyl tile for the kitchen. I just finished some work for my former boss, giving me a little extra spending money. The white paint is sitting out waiting for me to get home from work this evening. I've already masked the edges of the small room off the kitchen. The plan is to have that much finished by the weekend.

Seed production and collection.

In my yard, everything is open pollinated. The bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies spread pollen from flower to flower. There's no telling what mix you might get from year to year. This is most evident in the black eyed susans. Early spring bloomers have started releasing their seed pods. Some have already been scattered around the yard. Some will be collected for trading. Most will be returned to the soil just before it rains for next year's plants.

Sweet Williams. I'm sending most of these to the backyard, especially the pink and white crape myrtle bed which needs some early color.



Columbines have already produced a lot of seed. Sown fresh, they will germinate this year and probably bloom next spring. I'm filling mostly shady spots with these plants.



Peonies. I've never grown peonies from seed, but I know it's possible. I might wintersow them, in summer.



Red Hot Pokers. There are a LOT of seeds on these two plants. I'll probably collect them instead of scattering them. People love these plants that start out looking like fine blades of grass. It takes 2 years for blooms from seed. Year three is where mine are now.



Poppies. I'll scatter them as soon as they are ripe. They'll germinate when it's time.



Mountain bluet seeds are hard to collect. These seedlings are beneath the current plants. Once they get a little size to them, I'll move them around this fall to areas that still need spring color. The parent plants need to be cut back soon.



Dusty Miller has just started to bloom. Planted in the fall of 2009, these plants have gotten huge. The blooms float about 2 feet above the soil. If I remember, the seeds are like dust.



Grown from scattered seeds, the annual Monarda citriodora is one of my favorites. After it blooms, it can be cut back for a repeat bloom. I did this twice last summer. The seeds are collected by shaking the spent blooms over a container.



Speaking to Cameron at Defining Your Home Garden, I've decided to scatter seeds as soon as they ripen. This seems the most natural method as it's what happens when there's no gardener present. Nature takes care of enough seeds to create a new crop each year. I'll save a few seeds just in case. You never know what could happen over the winter.

It's currently 81 degrees and pouring rain. Heavy thunderstorms are about to move through the area. The rain is expected to last a few hours.

Misty Morning

It started raining about 7pm. Thunderstorms rolled across the Piedmont area of NC all evening. I took advantage of the rain to clean the house and do a little work on the kitchen. I started painting the small room off the kitchen. It will be a few days before I can mask the edges with tape and paint the white.



Outside this morning, many of my poppies are laying on the ground. 1.57" of rain fell between 7pm and midnight. The basement has a new water feature. The mist still hangs in the air outside. Everything is bright green.



It's 64 degrees. More rain is possible this evening. 30% chance.

Muggy Sunday

It's 72 degrees and muggy. It looks like rain. Monday, they've promised us a whole day of rain. I'm going to have to spend some time today planting out a few things I picked up at basement prices thanks to my boss and Carla.

Orchid Primrose. Primula vialii



It looks best in mass plantings. I have a shady spot in front of the fence along the driveway that's perfect for it. I have 18 of them to plant. I spent less than the price of lunch at McDonald's.



I've also got Salvia leucantha. A customer promised me this last fall. She brought it in on Friday with a bunch of other things.



Daisy Gardenia is blooming. This one is on the rear corner of the house. I can smell it through the open windows of the back bedroom.



Wintersown impatiens. The first to bloom.



The crape myrtle bed is coming along. Pink, white, and purple.



Miniature roses from a Winterswap participant. I'll find somewhere to plant these over the next few weeks.



I'm supposed to help Carla with some wood from a tree taken down this winter that's still in her yard. It's her Birthday too.

1:55pm. Still no word back from Carla. I called her when I got home this morning.

All the plants are in place. Just as I finished, it's started raining. Passing showers should be common the next 4-5 days as we get back to normal weather. The soil is nice and wet. The transplants should get their roots down in no time at all. It's 81 degrees, humid, and raining. I love it.

Reds.

Time marches on, and soon you realize it marches across your face. The sun turns my face red on hot days whether in the garden or at the store where I rarely find myself inside out of the heat and humidity. The reds are also starting to appear in the garden.

Another poppy bloom, same plant as yesterday.



Red spider zinnias. I was so disappointed by the less than impressive size of these flowers last year. When I ordered seeds, I expected huge swaths of large red daisy-like zinnias. The flowers are about the size of a dime. Later, they'll be the size of a quarter. They look good in mass plantings, and I allowed them to reseed last year scattering seeds here and there. So far, they've only come up where the original planting was.



Lilies. I don't know the variety. I planted them last spring where they grew to about 6" tall and did nothing else. This year, they shot out of the ground with vigor and are just starting to open. If you look closely, you can see a Rudbeckia bloom about to unfurl.



Gerbera Daisy. Only one of the two reds have returned. Several of the white are blooming along the back of the house. This is surprising since Gerbers aren't exactly fond of the cold weather we had in January, nor do they like wet feet in winter. But a few managed to survive. The purple violas behind the gerbers are going to seed. I had planned to collect a few and scatter them around, but I missed my opportunity. This fall, I'll just have to move plants like I did yesterday.



Over the past 2 days, we've received more than 2" of rain. More possible today. The potager is taking a liking to this new kind of weather. Water from the garden hose keeps things alive during dry spells, but real growth happens when it rains. The row on the left were the last ones planted out. They share the same first name as me and John Wayne.



The beans, squash, okra, cucumbers, and nasturtiums in the upper bed are growing too. It will warm up later this week. I expect to have squash in 4-6 weeks.



Finally, the fourth attempt at growing Oakleaf Hydrangeas has begun. The root of the mangled plant has put out new growth. My cuttings don't seem to be doing much. It's only been two weeks. There is still hope.



It's 57 degrees, cool and cloudy. Today I've got to work on the AC unit. A cheap part needs to be located and replaced. I'll do that after I've had another cup of coffee. I had hoped to mow the yard, but the hateful lawnmower detests wet grass. I'd probably slip and lose a foot anyway. It's best to just leave it alone until it dries out a bit.