Sodden

 

Ever feel alone in a crowd?  

A little over 2.5" for the latest storm.  22.28" as of 7:00 am Thursday.   We're officially no longer "abnormally dry" (for a few weeks, at least).

 

Stump: 95% out.  Until the soil dries out somewhat, the last 5% must wait.  The task was not a complete nightmare, because there was room to maneuver, stand on flat ground, and the soil was easy to dig.   At times,  it did feel more like work than gardening.  

However, it being off-and-on showery, the neighborhood was serene--no chainsaws growling, no leaf blowers roaring, no traffic.  It's lovely to garden under those conditions--even when gardening is battling a stump--breathing fresh air, surrounded by growing plants, listening to peeping and shrieking hummers and the coo of doves.  

 

While the Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman' waits for the stump's place, it flowered.  The opening flowers, like the soil, are sodden with rain.

That's a pretty blue!

What there is to do in the garden until it dries out somewhat are small tasks that can be performed without stepping into wet soil.  Small tasks, and looking around.

Looking around.  Clemmie dear, why not grow some foliage before flowering?  

Small task, performed on pavement:  pulling old foliage and spent flowers from Gerberas:

Tidy again:

After that, more looking around.  Winter on the wall, spring from the soil:

 

This entire clump of Hippeastrum papilio vanished last summer.  I thought it had died.  Nope-- reading up on the species, apparently it is semi-evergreen.  Several flower stems this year: 

The two bare-root roses purchased in January leafed out quite well with all the rain.  

Back in January...

I'd given them some alfalfa meal, which in my experience kick starts a bare-root rose quite nicely.   Alfalfa meal used to be readily available at the local Farm supply in inexpensive 40 lb sacks, but they don't seem to sell those anymore.  Instead, they sell alfalfa meal now in expensive 5 lb boxes.   

 This is a second copy of 'Princesse Charlene de Monaco', which has gorgeous flowers with a gorgeous fragrance on a plant of peculiar growth habit: 

The other new bare-root, 'Francis Meilland', appears to be the classic Meilland style of Hybrid Tea:  big, burly, vigorous.  It's growing rapidly and there are even two flower buds already. 

Flowers in quantity at last on the Stock (Matthiola incana) grown from seed.  Lovely array of colors when grown in a group.  I don't think I gave them rich enough soil--they seem spindly. 

Unquestionably a winter too cold to overwinter Pentas successfully:

The cones turning black on Leucadenron 'Wilson's Wonder' is yet another attractive feature of this shrub.

The 'Harlequin' Leucadendron doesn't look so good with the Dutch Iris.  Oh, well.  The problem may be not so much the colors as the difference in saturation of the colors. 

Leucadendron 'Pom Pom' cones prepare to produce pollen.  They will turn a striking red:

Leucospermum 'Red Ribbon' prepares to flower:

Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' is about a week ahead of 'Pom Pom'.  'Pom Pom' is slightly more beautiful than 'Ginny', but 'Ginny is pretty eyecatching:

Narrow leaves going in several directions, Yuccas with Kumara (Aloe) plicatilis:

Next to look at, one of the two big box "Forever Flowers" Leucospermums.  One I bought fresh, the other was months later off the Death Rack.  This was the fresh one, but the Death Rack copy is growing and healthy and has flower buds, too, though it is weeks behind this one:   

That's what's to see here at the moment in a rain-sodden garden.