Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Wednesday Vignette: Drip, drip, drip

We were promised rain this week.  One article in the Los Angeles Times mentioned the possibility of one to four inches of the wet stuff.  I didn't expect anything on the upper end of that range but I was hoping for a good soak.  Thus far, it hasn't amounted to much.  In my part of the county, we spent yesterday enfolded in a cloud.  It was damp but, during the course of the day, we picked up just 0.12/inch of rain.

The photo on the left shows the view from my back garden on Sunday.  The view on the right from the same vantage point was taken yesterday and the scene this morning is very much the same.

The front garden

This photo of the garden on the north side showed off the leaves forming on the persimmon tree in the background


The garden still holds surprises, though.

For the first time ever, one of my Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' shrubs has flowers!  I'd read that they flower but I'd literally never seen them in a photo, much less in person until now.  I've got seven of these shrubs.  The first of these were planted in 2012.  The one that's flowering now was planted in 2014.


I see this as proof that Mother Nature is capable of surprises.  The local weather forecast still holds out the prospect of rain in drips and drabs into early next week.  We'll see what happens.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

23 comments:

  1. All fingers crossed that you miraculously get at least another inch or two. Love the mysteriously foggy views! The blooming Acacia is such a wonderful surprise! I had no idea they bloomed, but given its genus, I suppose that makes sense. Never thought about the possibility, though. You must be thrilled!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A miracle may be necessary when it comes to rain here, Anna, although Weather Underground is currently giving us a 50% chance of rain tomorrow afternoon. The "atmospheric river" that was supposed to deliver a major boon this week has once again been hi-jacked and is staying south of us.

      I was surprised and thrilled to see the tiny Acacia blooms - I'd have thought they'd have appeared well before this if they were going to appear at all.

      Delete
  2. That is some serious fog. I hope it helps with the moisture even if it is just drips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Native Americans used to harvest fog as a water source. I need to learn to do that!

      Delete
    2. Our fynbos is adapted to harvest mist and low cloud - giving us different plants on the mountain versus the much drier lowlands.

      Delete
  3. Hi, Kris, sure wish we could send you some of our rain! I'm listening to thunder as I type, after a lovely warm day. Haven't been able to comment in Safari due to an Apple upgrade but just unchecked the prevent cross-site tracking box in Safari Privacy preferences and here I am. Thought I'd mention it in case any other readers have been having problems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Barbara! I know there are people having trouble commenting. That's happened to me too at intervals when one site or another processes an "upgrade."

      Delete
  4. Boy, it's like living in a cloud! What a difference from that crystal clear view on Sunday.
    Exciting about Cousin Itt... I love acacia blooms, are these fragrant, too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With my allergies kicking up, I can't smell the flowers from a distance, Eliza, and I haven't gotten on my knees to try a closer sniff but I may cut a stem or two for a future vase and then we'll see!

      Delete
  5. We did better here, 0.4". More expected, and hey, at least it's not 90F with 8% relative humidity.

    The misty pictures are pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd have been ecstatic about four tenths of an inch, HB, but, yes, at least the Santa Anas aren't blowing and high humidity is providing the plants a break of sorts.

      Delete
  6. Looks like June gloom has made an early appearance ! Still so dry here.We have the possibility of some moisture this weekend but it looks like we'll be lucky to get 1/4 inch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It felt as though it was pouring from mid-morning into early afternoon here today, Kathy, but our roof-top weather station only shows 0.27/inch this far. (The nearest official weather station claims 0.66/inch but I'm on the other side of the hill.) However, it's still plenty gloomy and the forecast is giving us a 75% chance of more rain tomorrow morning. The 10-day outlook also suggests rain at intervals through 3/21. Not quite a March Miracle but it's better than nothing. I hope you get some too!

      Delete
  7. Fingers crossed you get some rain. We are expected to get another blast of very cold winter temps before it warms up again. Spring is coming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your crossed fingers delivered some rain today, Elaine! There's a good chance of more to come as well.

      Delete
  8. Hoping you get some rain: You can have some of mine. ;-) Your garden is so beautiful in all conditions! And a blooming Acacia: yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It'd be so nice if we could arrange a rain exchange system, Beth. Too bad Mother Nature insists on doing everything her way! ;)

      Delete
  9. Look at that. Finally got to comment. Your garden looks fabulous I wish I had one of those Acacias.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I’m really sorry you didn’t receive more Kris, especially after it was promised so far ahead. Somehow with a buildup like that it seems a much more positive thing and so all the more disappointing when it doesn’t happen. Hopefully there will be some more to come. Fingers crossed! There is always so much to see in your garden no matter what the weather, and your acacia is no exception.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We got a bit more rain last night and this morning, Jane, although our seasonal total is sitting at 7.51 inches, which is almost exactly half of where we should be with our rainy season nearing its close at the end of March. However, others in Los Angeles County have received more, which is good. Critical to our overall water supply is whether the latest storms have increased the snowpack to the north - a few weeks ago it was sitting at 48% of "normal" for this time of year, suggesting our slide into drought.

      Delete
  11. Funny I never thought about an Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' flowering, it's all about the foliage!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although I knew that 'Cousin Itt' was supposed to bloom, Loree, I'd never seen any and frankly wondered if flowers would mar its appearance, as I feel is the case with Aeonium blooms. These flowers are subtle enough not to bother me because, as you say, with this plant it's all about the foliage.

      Delete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.