Between the Raindrops


This has been the view from my kitchen window of late... soggy soil, soggy air, soggy spirits. As much as we Okies complain of heat and drought and wind, and we do... (and often I might add)



we also are quick to acknowledge our compensatory environmental counterweights:  vivid, expansive, blue and reliably sunny skies; the bright white light of long summers and growing seasons, and more than enough vitamin D and melatonin to go round... most always at the ready to banish even a whisper of seasonal effective disorder in most months.



(Salmon Asiatic lilies have stood up well to torrents of spring rain. A shovelful of coarse gravel in a large planting hole got the bulbs off to a good start several years ago. They have especially appreciated this extra drainage in my slow draining, heavy clay soil during these heavy rains..)


I adore the way Lady's Mantle captures raindrops.

Normally I, like most Oklahoma gardeners, embrace and luxuriate in the rain, channeling its romance and exulting in its healing, restorative garden powers. But a pearl of gardening wisdom I have harvested over the years...is that

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IN A GARDEN IS  STILL TOO MUCH.

Be it nitrogen or birdhouses or wildlife or gnomes or fairy houses or, yes, 

EVEN RAIN ON DROUGHT-PARCHED PRAIRIE LAND.

(Though snails and slugs and lawn fungus and pill bugs and mosquitoes would probably beg to differ;  drunken and engorged on all this moisture are they. I can hear their raucous revelry as I write. Not unlike Templeton the rat in CHARLOTTE'S WEB after feasting at the fair....)


(I cordoned off the grass to protect it from too much foot traffic. PYTHIUM, an annual  fungal problem in my fescue lawn has already begun to rear its ugly head.  All of this moisture will hasten its spread and foot traffic worsens the problem. Despite practicing recommended cultural lawn care to prevent it, it nevertheless plagues me each and every late spring.)




But in between the raindrops/rain torrents...we squeezed in a few garden tours...donning our wellies

and slickers and bug spray to ward off the elements.  



Ever-prepared, the fun-loving Daisy Dames came more than prepared to ward off the elements with Mimosas served from a sterling tray and champagne ice bucket... straight from the trunk of a car (thanks, Anna!) No small feat for this large a group. 










Not to be outdone, a group of Tulsa garden enthusiasts rented a bus to come tour OKC area gardens for the day. We were thrilled to have them!



 

I felt compelled to apologize for the lack of color. Heavy rain had washed away most of it and the lack of bloom-inducing sun doesn't help. 

But oh my, things were and ARE lush and verdant and green.



QUESTION:  Where do you get your metal pot stands?  

ANSWER:  Home Depot or Lowes











QUESTION: Do you cut back your mondo grass in the spring... like the regular monkey grass?

ANSWER: No, it fills out on its own, covering any winter-blemished foliage.


QUESTION:  Why do you leave gaps in the brick?  How is the spacing so even? Do they sink? Why do you use both brick AND stone for the border?

ANSWER: I like to grow things in between.~ When I installed them, I used a 'spacer' to ensure the gaps were even. ~ Yes, sometimes, during heavy rain...I just straighten them later. ~ I like the textural contrast; both hardscaping elements appear in my home's facade; I  just find it interesting and eye pleasing.





QUESTION: What is this plant? Is it hard to grow?

ANSWER: Lady's Mantle ~ it can be; that's why I grow it in pots where it seems to do well. 

QUESTION: What are those round purple things on the straight stems?

ANSWER: Allium 'Globemaster'



QUESTION: May we come back again sometime?  ANSWER:  Of course!



Labels: , , , , ,