Rain finally arrived on Saturday night. The TV satellite suddenly went off-line and my husband had decided to go to bed. I was reading when I heard the pitter-patter of rain on the roof a little before 10pm. Because I'm crazy, I threw on a coat when I saw rain coming down at a good clip and positioned plastic trugs under the rain chain on the back patio to collect what my rain barrels couldn't. When it tapered off (and I was moderately wet) I turned in for the night, counting on the additional showers in Sunday's forecast. The forecast was correct, delivering rain on and off the next day. We even got a rainbow between showers.
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| View from my back patio |
The rain didn't come down heavily here until very late last night. Light rain was preferable on this occasion because it lessens the danger of mudslides in areas recently scarred by the fires that have plagued us for weeks. As of my last check on Sunday evening, the Palisades Fire was ninety percent contained; the Eaton Fire was ninety-eight percent contained; and the Hughes Fire, which broke out last Wednesday and burned over 10,000 acres, was ninety-five percent contained. The rainfall recorded by our rooftop weather station between Saturday night and Monday morning totaled 1.14 inches! That's more than was expected, although it included a late night thunderstorm that may have caused problems in the fire areas. Our water year-to-date total, counted from October 1st, now stands at 1.43 inches. The majority of our rain usually falls between November 1st and April 30th.
Between showers Sunday morning, I cut flowers to fill two vases. The first is dominated by a huge flower of Hippeastrum 'Marilyn'.
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| I potted my new Hippeastrum bulbs late in the season and all are growing outside, which slows their bloom schedule. 'Marilyn' has 2 more buds yet to open but the first flower is the size of my hand with my fingers fully spread. |
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| Back view: I settled on a relatively monochromatic mix of materials, which I found somewhat disappointing; however, I couldn't find anything else that provided more impact |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', pale green Eustoma grandiflorum, Hippeastrum 'Marilyn', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', L. s. 'Chief', and Narcissus papyraceus |
The second arrangement features pink and white Anemone coronaria flowers.
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| The Anemones are slowly waking up |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', L. scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Bianco Centro Nero', and A. c. 'Mistral Rosa Chiaro' |
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Yeah! So great you got a nice amount of rain. I had to laugh at your reaction, running outside at 10pm. A healthy & large Hippeastrum seems an appropriate selection. I bet everything looks refreshed out in the garden with the shower.
ReplyDeleteI went to bed early (not long after 10pm) last night and when I awoke to thunderous booms and pounding rain less than an hour later, I worried first about the mudslides in the fire zones and then debated whether I should get up and start filling more plastic trugs from the rain chain. This time good sense won - the lightning was too close and filling trugs under heavy rain would quickly get me soaked ;) (I know this from prior experience.) I checked my rain barrels this morning and found that both the 50- and 160-gallon barrels are now full anyway. My 265-gallon barrel is only close to half full but it's the farthest from the rainchain and the hardest to fill manually so my decision was a good one this time!
DeleteIt would have been so disappointing if the forecasted rain hadn't come, and the fact that you were so excited about your grand total of 1.14" says such a lot. what sort of quantity are you likely to have harvested, do you think?
ReplyDeleteMarilyn is such a lovely colour, and the lisianthus is such a good match - I don't think there is any need to be disappointed as both arrangements are lovely
When I closed up shop for the evening last night, our rain total stood at 0.20/inch, which wasn't great but it was more than we'd had at any other time since October 1st. I knew the downpour that came after I'd gone to bed meant more but I was genuinely surprised to discover that we'd racked up over an inch overall - that was much more than any of the forecasts I'd heard. My 2 small rain tanks, 50- and 160 gallons respectively are already full and my 265 gallon tank is close to half full as best as I can tell from staring down into it. All were previously empty. And that doesn't count the 3+ trugs of "dirty" water I dumped over one of my beds from the first flush off the roof. It's truly amazing how much rain water can be harvested off a roof!
DeleteThank God for rain, hey, Kris! I like your arrangements. Especially the second one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Johanna. That was more rain than we'd expected! There's a chance of more rain before the evening hours but I'm not betting on it. One weather service has given us a 20% chance of rain next week; however, another service doesn't currently give us a chance on that level until closer to mid-February. Still, I appreciate this break in our 8 month stretch of drought and can only hope our luck has changed.
DeleteReading your post you sound as desperate as we are here in Portugal for rain. Beautiful arrangements. I think my favourite is the pink ... although it was close. Such beautiful flowers you have in your garden.
ReplyDeleteCoastal Southern California also has a "Mediterranean climate" with a relatively short rainy season and a long dry season stretching from May through October or November. We went 8 months with almost no rain. Our current "water year," which starts October 1st, has been the driest on record (although Northern California was luckier). Los Angeles County, where I live, has also experienced a record number of especially destructive wildfires. I live in a high fire risk area but we've been lucky to avoid the kind of catastrophes some areas have experienced. Every drop of rain feels precious.
DeleteHurrah for rain! What a relief to have the big wildfires near containment.
ReplyDeleteI would have run out in the rain, too, to save every drop I could.
Your beautiful bouquets are a fine celebration! Eliza
The rain was a relief, Eliza. I'm not sure how much we can expect during what remains of the season but it still feels good to see everything in the garden looking fresh and clean.
DeleteHappy dance for rain Marilyn is fabulous! Amelia.. plant some zinnia seed, Kris, I think it will work.
ReplyDeleteWell, I usually give the zinnias plenty of room in my cutting garden and I'm still waiting on blooms from the cool season flowers there!
DeleteWonderful news that you have had rain at last and that the fires are nearly under control. I love both your arrangements. Do the hippeastrum flowers last in water? They are so ungainly on the plants that I think using them as cut flowers is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteHippeastrum flowers do quite well in arrangements, although I generally like to wait until more of the trumpet-like flowers open before I cut the stems. They do have heavy heads, which need support. To provide the stem itself support, I insert a stick up the hollow stem with a cotton ball at its base and then wrap a rubber band around the stem's exterior at its base. I didn't invent that approach - I read about it somewhere and found it effective.
DeleteOoh, rain! So glad you finally got a good soak Kris. Well, not you personally, but you know what I mean! Great news for the firefighters too. Is it Anemone season already? I have planted a few in pots that are sheltered from the harshest cold, so must check if they are sending up any shoots. The coral coloured one is lovely. I also love that creamy pale green Eustoma in the first vase. You have some beautiful flowers Kris! I wonder if more rain is in sight? It is pouring here. Wish we could send you some of it!
ReplyDeleteWell, you must remember that our version of cold - and winter in general - is not nearly as chilly as yours, Cathy! Spring arrives early here. The anemones are on a slow roll at the moment but the rest of my cool season bloomers like the sweet peas are making nearly invisible progress, much to my annoyance.
DeleteThere are some low chances of rain in the longer term projections. Our best chance at present is the weekend after next but projections that far out can't be counted on. However, February is statistically our rainiest month and we've previously had a "March miracle" pull us out of drought so there's always room for hope!
Sono veramente felice della tua pioggia, ti darei volentieri un po' anche della mia! Spero anche che la situazione degli incendi possa migliorare ora. Sicuramente è gradita dal tuo giardino!
ReplyDeleteUn caro saluto!
Thanks Gabriel! The rain was very well received overall and we are hoping for more before our rainy season comes to an end in April. I wish you could send us some of your rain but it seems that Mother Nature is not at all flexible in that department ;)
DeleteAn inch and a half is surprising! We got caught in a huge downpour on Main St. in Seal Beach on Sunday, thinking that only drizzle would be the extent this storm would bring. It was glorious, though Billie was not amused and kept trying to duck into stores.
ReplyDeletePoor Billie! When the rainbow arrived mid-afternoon on Sunday, I thought for sure that signaled the end of the rain and tried to see the 0.20/inch of rain we'd received up to that point in positive terms. The downpour we got at 11pm that night, along with thunder and lightning, was a big surprise.
DeleteHow wonderful! I have been watching the L.A. news constantly and wondering how you were doing. What a real breath of air you must have breathed in after that rain. I imagine your air has been very smoky. Your vases are beautiful as always and your plants must be smiling.
ReplyDeletehttps://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/01/27/in-a-vase-monday-january-27/
I haven't smelled smoke here since the early days of the fires but we've seen ash blowing in the air and on the ground so those pollutants are still around. We finally received a decent ("fair") air quality reading yesterday but it's back to "poor" today, which I find baffling. The various local agencies score air quality based on different criteria, which is frustrating, but we're relying on the one that factors in smoke-related pollutants at the moment.
DeleteI think I checked the LA forecast more than my own over the weekend, I am thrilled at the rain and the containment numbers for the fires. I love the colors of your first arrangement, so delicate and minty with a light brush of cinnamon.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see the LA fires so close to total containment. San Diego still has one fire of concern but even it's at 74% contained now and it looks like it hasn't spread any further. Meanwhile, there's a long, hard recovery process in front of LA County.
DeleteOh, sweet--the rainbow, the flowers, the arrangement. I'm partial to peachy, pink, and orange flowers, so I love these. I'm also so happy for you with the rain. I know the clean-up and rebuilding in the area will take some time, but it's good news that the fires are mostly contained.
ReplyDelete