WILL IT WON'T IT

This morning I pumped up 500 gallons of water from our stock tanks into the garden. I am banking on the fact that they are promising rain. The sky is dark and when the wind blows you can smell the rain. Most of my beds are bone dry even though we had 3" of rain 2 weeks ago. The dark skies are adding depth to the color of flowers in the garden.

The pink knockout roses along the back of the pool were the recipient of some of that water. As I held the hose in one hand I snipped off the dead flowers with the other. They are mostly self cleaning but those flowers that got the soaking when it rained were just glued to the sepals. Untidy as I am I just didn't like seeing it.

It's the norm after an extended trip for my garden to get very untidy. I let plants grow and seed in the pathways and there is a price to be paid. That price is hours of pulling out. A few select plants will get to stay. This blanket flower, Gaillardia pulchella, on the corner, is one. Please watch out as you turn the corner!! There is the return of the flame acanthus Anisacanthus quadrifidus, right there between the two beds. I hacked at the root last year but there was one piece I couldn't remove without disturbing the pavers. It's back again but I have pruned it back so it will not be the monster of the past by the fall.

Verbena bonariensis wafts among the blanket flowers in the herb garden. How could I pull them out. Maybe in a few weeks when the narrow leaf zinnias arrive.
We just had a quick shower. The tanks are starting to fill again.