Rain soaked

Over the past four days we've had 4.23 inches of rain, which is a tremendous amount in a short time for us, especially given our recent history.  For three of those days, we were entirely socked in, as if enveloped in a cloud.  We couldn't see the horizon and could barely make out the outline of neighboring homes.  While a heavy morning marine layer isn't unusual here, being wrapped in a blanket for three solid days was a ghostly experience.

The harbor was invisible during the day and, even at night, the lights below us were largely imperceptible

The lovely paperwhite Narcissus have been plastered to the ground since Sunday evening

I planted 3 flats of creeping thyme last week, only to have local critters (opossums or raccoons, I'm not sure which) pull the plugs up, hence the addition of the empty flats laid across the path as protection

A combination of time, wind and rain has stripped the flaking bark off the strawberry trees (Arbutus 'Marina'), leaving them mostly smooth.  The red color of the trunk and limbs is more pronounced under the wet conditions.

After removing as much of the Asparagus fern foliage and roots as I could, I planted the area in front of the mimosa tree with Centaurea 'Silver Feathers', Pelargonium x sidoides, Lobularia maritima, and Thymus serphyllum 'Minus' before the rain began.  I scattered larkspur seeds last weekend too.  I'm still looking for a large pot to hide the mimosa's battle scars.

The mimosa tree looks as though it's about to fall into space, doesn't it?

Ozothamnus diosmifolious (aka rice flower plant) looks great decorated in raindrops

The moisture-filled air lends a sense of stillness to everything, even in photographs

Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'  wasn't its fluffy self after 4 straight days of rain

This was the view from our master bedroom window looking out across the front garden on Wednesday morning

So far, none of my succulents seem to be suffering due to the rain.  In fact, most of them look great.  These are planted along the moderate slope in the front garden behind the hedge that runs along the street.

Some of the Aeonium arboreum are starting to bloom.

The rain and cooler weather have transformed this succulent bed on our southwest side.  The Aeoniums (A. arboreum, A x haworthii 'Kiwi', and A. 'Sunburst') still looked terrible in early November but they're not dormant any longer.

Before the rain started, in the area just beyond the Aeonium bed shown in the previous photo, I planted cuttings of Aeonium arboreum and A. haworthii 'Kiwi Verde' in the bare area surrounding a dead tree stump at the top of a relatively steep slope above our neighbor's driveway.  As the rain came down hard at intervals, I was concerned that the cuttings might be washed away but they held up fine.

The sun has already made an appearance this morning and tomorrow's temperature could get up near 70F/21C.  It's nice to see some blue sky again and I look forward to drying out a bit.  There's no more rain in the forecast until early February.  I hope there's some blue sky and warmth in your weekend forecast too.


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party