Soggy garden blues make me happy
During the horrible drought year of 2011, I swore I’d never complain about rain again, and I’m not tempted now. My garden has had nearly 5 inches of rain since last Tuesday, washing out a gravel path twice and incubating a healthy crop of mosquitoes.
And how sweet it is!
The garden is lush with new growth. I’ve not had to run the sprinklers since last fall. The birds have lots of bugs to eat. And I delight to feel the soil squish when I press my foot on it.
It all just makes one feel like lounging comfortably on a wall, doesn’t it, Cosmo? Oh well, there are weeds to pull!
I’m thrilled to see that the Acanthus mollis is sending up a bloom spike for the first time. Its large, notched leaves are pretty too, gleaming at the base of a Mexican beautyberry (Callicarpa acuminata).
Mama Owl worried me yesterday. She didn’t appear in the box opening all day, despite having been a fixture there for weeks, and I wondered if her chicks could have suddenly fledged without my ever seeing them. In addition, Papa Owl was absent from his usual perch along the back fence.
But that evening, as I searched the trees through the living room window, I spotted the missus in the crepe myrtle by the deck. She’d obviously moved out to give the growing chicks more room and was roosting where she could keep an eye on the owl box. I walked down the deck steps, right under her, to get a photo, and she only gave me a lazy glance. All is well.
All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Your yard is filling in so beautifully! Love the short blue wall with the green pot & variegated um..agave? Congratulations on all the rain. Hopefully we on the west coast will make it through our drought too!
Thanks, Cheryl. It’s a ‘Color Guard’ yucca. I actually wanted to put a variegated agave in a pot on that wall, but it would have been too spiny for its proximity to the pool. Despite all our recent rain, central Texas is still in a serious drought; it takes a lot of precipitation to make up for years of too little rain, as Californians know all too well. But every drop helps! I hope you get rain too, and lots of it. —Pam
You’ve had a lot more rain than we have! It’s dry out there. (great shot of Moby!)
I remember Portland had a dry fall, didn’t you, Loree? I hope you get some spring rains to keep the garden happy. —Pam
Your garden looks great.
It’s raining again here, right now. Have to put off weed pulling again for a while. Between our trips, and the rain, I’ll never catch up!!
But, as you say…the rain is still welcome.
I just came in from pruning in the rain. I’m a bit soggy, but at least it’s cool out there. —Pam
Your garden looks lush. Isn’t it fun having so much rain. I know your area needed it. Enjoy it while it is wet.
Yes, we did, and yes, I am! —Pam
I agree, Pam. Love the rain, bring it on, saturate the land, fill the lakes. Oh, yeah. The mosquitos. Oh well.
There’s always a catch, right, Gina? —Pam
Your garden is looking lush and beautiful, Pam. We too have had weeks of rain, which has not only filled the lakes but the groundwater as well. Still, I didn’t sign up to live in Seattle. Where’s the sun? I think we’re going to go straight from cool gloom to the death star this year.
Is Dallas out of drought yet, Peter? It’s encouraging to hear that your lakes are refilling. Austin’s have such a long way to go still. —Pam
Filled and overfull. Officials are beginning to open dams to release some water to prevent overflow flooding. Downstream, beware!
Wonderful! Soooooo happy to hear about the rain! Too many very hot, dry summers! Are the lake levels up? Your garden looks wonderful! ~Julie
Lake levels are up, Julie, but the Hill Country has not had as much rain as Austin this winter/spring, so they are still woefully low. —Pam
Your garden is beautiful…I love all the shades of blue and watching the new additions melt into the space. The owl shot is amazing! Shawn was just wondering if Austin is being blessed with this rain like we are. Houston (being sub-tropical) is turning back into the jungle it used to be per-drought. We are heading to Austin on the 22nd. Looking forward to seeing LBJ Wildflower Center and perhaps a few nurseries you have mentioned. Happy Spring
Yes, Austin’s had above-average rainfall lately, with more predicted at least through early summer. Is this the El Nino effect? I don’t know, but I’m grateful, especially as I’m opening my garden on tour this fall. I hope you have a wonderful Austin visit over Memorial Day! I’d say maybe I’ll run into you at the nurseries, but we have family get-togethers planned that weekend. So I’ll see you at the Fling instead! —Pam
As much as the rain (well, almost!) I am enjoying the gentle light coming through cloud layers. Not so typical for this time of year and such a gift!
Moby is certainly ruling his space now – I hope he’ll remember all us common folk who knew him ‘way back when he was just a little guppy. Will he have pups? I thought I saw a pup on a commercially installed whale’s tongue locally and was sorely tempted to stop and “rescue” it. I’m pretty sure a rescue might appear as petty larceny to other eyes, so I’ve resisted. (so far….)
Deb, Moby has never pupped. Agave ovatifolia is typically a non-pupping variety — one of the things I love about it. But it may have bulbils (baby agaves) on its bloom stalk when it finally blooms. Or maybe it’ll just have seeds. I’m really not sure — and not in a hurry to find out since it will die after it blooms. —Pam
Your garden looks great!
Would love to come visit sometime.
Thanks, Curt. I owe you a garden visit. 🙂 —Pam
If I send you an empty bucket, will you send it back to me full? We’re excited here in Northern California when we get 1/10th of an inch of rain–and even that doesn’t happen often.
Your garden looks fantastic!
“We’re excited here in Northern California when we get 1/10th of an inch of rain” — whereas here in Texas they coined the phrase, “when it rains it pours.” Drought or flood, rarely anything in-between. I wish I could send you some, Gerhard. —Pam
Your garden looks splendid. Congrats on the rain! We’re anticipating some too, which is VERY exciting, especially as both my new industrial-size rain tanks are now in place.
Thanks for the owl update. Mama owl looks quite content.
I hope you get some rain soon, Kris. I bet you’ll be dancing in the rain to see your tanks fill up! —Pam