April Showers and the Garden

As I walk in the garden, my feet leave imprints in the sodden soil. Moisture drips from leaves and flowers.A rose leaf is bejeweled with raindrops.A spray of water soaks me when I brush against a branch. My friends and I warn one another to not complain about the weeks of rain; for in July, when the fierce summer sun becomes oppressive, we will be begging for rain. Let the plants soak it up, let the earth store it up, let the streams and lakes and rivers be filled with it; let us all rejoice in it now.Columbine grows in the front garden next to purple sage.

I am enjoying April. It is a beautiful month in the garden, saturated with colors, and even the rain cannot take away the glory of Japanese maples, azaleas, dogwoods, magnolias and camelias.

Some April blooms, clockwise from top left: Apple blossoms; Unknown camellia, planted in 1983; Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'; Erigeron, a wild aster also called fleabane

In the woodland garden I have a new bridge! I thought to replace the old wooden one, which had become infested with termites, with one crafted of iron. But then I found the very same bridge kit at half the price I originally paid. I couldn't resist! We treated it with linseed oil, meticulously caulked all the joints, and painted it with a high grade solid stain in hopes of deterring termites. The color is a bit different from the original one, and there is a new companion to the bridge. Do you see him?The little fox was a Christmas present from Lou. I called the old bridge my squirrel crossing, but this one will be for the foxes.

Here are more images taken in the April woodland garden:In the front are Autumn fern, epimedium, spreading yew and 'Waterfall' Japanese maple. Toward the back you can glimpse the new fern glade.

I place a number of potted tropical plants in the woodland garden for the summer, including Stromanthe tricolor in the left image and on the right in the middle: Bird's Nest Fern, variegated fig and Dracaena marginata. In the foreground of both images is the evergreen Distylium

Above, Upper left and right: Uvularia, also called merry bells; Lower left: native columbine; lower right: Heucherella 'Alabama sunrise.'

I like to walk in the garden in late afternoon. After a day of rain, I took the following photos as the sun was setting:

Blessings to you all!     Deb

An Ode to Raindrops

There is ancient history in a raindrop, if we could read it.

Where has the raindrop been? Was it ever part of a powerful storm that altered the land and destroyed the lives of men? Perhaps it once bounced along in a woodland stream where primitive people bathed their babies, washed their garments, and fished for their suppers. An important king may have quenched his thirst with the drop, or maybe it fell from a farmer's brow as he plowed the field. How many plants have reached their roots into the soil to seek out its life giving moisture? Does the drop still remember the pounding rhythms of the ocean? How long did it float in a cloud before returning to earth in my front yard?

August has been much drier than July, and I was happy this weekend when we had a real gullywasher, as local folks would say. Great torrents of water overwhelmed the gutters and came pouring off the eves of the house. We sang for joy. This means we don't have to pull heavy hoses over the yard for a few days, depending on the temperatures. It is still steamy in the Deep South, but September's relief is just around the corner. I went outside after the storm and waxed euphoric over the raindrops still clinging to the foliage:Mist lingers after a storm, seen in some random views of the yard: I hope you all have a great week, and may raindrops keep falling as you need them!  

Deborah