Saturday, May 16, 2009

HURRAH FOR THE RAIN

I could feel it in the air as I worked outside this morning. Rain was on the way and now it has arrived. A really heavy downpour. Driven into the house, but only for a few minutes as I gathered up my indoor plants and put them outside for a good soaking.

It didn't take very long for the dry creek in the front garden to fill up.

I did get out earlier with my camera.It was good light for taking photographs and there were plenty that didn't get their place in the limelight on bloom day. This nice stand of cornflowers.

Now that I have removed all the pink primroses and bluebonnets we can actually see this day lily from the front.

and the yellow knock out rose which had been overtaken by poppies.

I've always liked the cleome although it seems to be difficult to grow from seed. Last fall it seeded all over the place but the seedlings died over the winter. It seems to need very specific conditions for the seeds to germinate and we don't seem to have them at the right time in central Texas.

Sometimes you just can't beat the way nature plants a plant. Here rock rose by the edge of the patio in the English garden.

Today I also spied a new variety of Mexican hat; this one with an orange tint. It's the only one out there.


I will often let plants plants grow until I am sure that I don't want them anymore. This was growing by the path in the vegetable garden. Delightful little flowers but I've a feeling it's a weed and I don't really want it. Worth a photo though, and maybe someone will identify it for me.
Latest update-2.2" rain.

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11 comments:

  1. KatieMay 16, 2009 at 3:08 PM

    Holy cow, that's a lot of rain! I especially love the shot of the dry creek bed.

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  2. sweetbayMay 16, 2009 at 4:40 PM

    I love the shot of the dry creek bed too. I don't suppose you know the name of the wine-purple daylily? It's a stunner.

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  3. Carol MichelMay 16, 2009 at 4:44 PM

    Gorgeous. Congrats on the rain! I hope it stayed awhile for you and your plants.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  4. Morning Glories in Round RockMay 16, 2009 at 8:35 PM

    Lovely rain, wasn't it? And the cool north wind so refreshing after the sweltering day we had yesterday!

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  5. jocoMay 17, 2009 at 1:49 AM

    Jenny,

    You outdo us all by having one Bloom Day after another!

    I swear your garden is at least ten acres, judging by the number of new plants you show us on such a regular basis.

    And yes, we finally had rain, after four weeks of drought. Lovely, I walked in it without a brollie. Everything smells like England again. All the barrells are full to the brim. 2000 Liters of rain water to see us through the months of hot dry weather ahead. Supposedly. Hope they are wrong.

    I grow C. texensis "Prinses Diana".aka as "Princess of Wales".
    With your interests you ought to give C.texensis "LadyBird Johnson" a try.
    Take a look at Chat later today if you have time to see the one I grow.
    jo

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  6. LINDA from Each Little WorldMay 17, 2009 at 5:36 AM

    How lovely to see a rainy photo on your post! The garden and the gardener no doubt both enjoyed it. I love it when the dry streams get to do their wet work.

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  7. Granny FranMay 17, 2009 at 10:40 PM

    If I had a weed like that growing in my garden, I'd keep it. Fascinating flowers. Oh how I would love a rain like that here in dry SE Colorado.

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  8. Mary BethMay 18, 2009 at 9:06 AM

    I'm jealous of the rain you received! We got just enough to rinse the dust off all the leaves. Love your cornflowers!

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  9. AiyanaMay 18, 2009 at 12:15 PM

    Beautiful plants! I love your rain photo--makes me want to see some here. It's been months now since we've had any, and it's so dry and hot here now that it would probably turn to steam in short order. Monsoon season begins in about 6 weeks, and that's our best hope for any rain at all.
    Aiyana

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  10. Rock rose May 18, 2009 at 2:22 PM

    Sweet bay- I'm so bad. I once knew all the names but they are lost forever. I'm such a bad record keeper.
    Carol- You know I guess we can never get enough. At the end of this afternoon the beds are looking as dry as ever.
    MG in Round Rock- Absolutely the best day in months today.
    Jo-I'm glad your barrels are full. It has been the perfect day today. I am going to post on the Clematis texensis later today so watch out.
    MS wis- The dry creeks do their job.
    Granny fran- Thanks for visiting- Must try to identify but some kind of euphorbia I think. Once I let a pokeweed grow because I loved the berries and so did the mocking bird. They were sprouting all over the place.
    Mary Beth- Sorry you didn't get more than a dusting. Next time maybe.
    Aiyana-All your plants will be grateful when the monsoons start.

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  11. A rootdiggerJune 7, 2009 at 12:00 AM

    loved your cornflower pic all fuzzy. not planned, but so neat.

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