Sweet June Rains

[summer_jackel]

It rained today---a beautiful, warm rain that will keep everything green for some time now. The quality of light and color is just gorgeous, so many shades of green accented by occasional flowers, and I spent as much of my day outside in it getting as wet as I could---the morning in the garden and on the bike (inside), a beach trip in the afternoon and a bath on my deck in the evening. Photos won't capture it, but I had fun trying.

















Potatoes are very pretty plants. If the vegetation gives good indication, I should have a nice spud harvest this fall.




This is my new Japanese maple, varietal 'waterfall.' It's probably last winter's graft, so it's very small yet, but it will grow, and it has a pleasing shape to it. This is the first laceleaf I've had, and I'm excited.














Every puppy has to destroy at least one precious thing; Bliss teethed on this maple. Unfortunately, it is my favorite, the one that flares an unreal lacquer red in the fall. Despite the damage, it's grown back, and the biggest shoot is creating a lovely curve. A couple more years should make this tree really impressive.





Avocado tree that will never fruit, but it's pretty!








A garden needs a cat.

Comments

[redknot.livejournal.com]

Beautiful!

[dustmeat.livejournal.com]

Splendid! I never get sick of greenery.

[a-rowan-dryad.livejournal.com]

Why won't the avacodo fruit?

And your photography amazes me!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Sadly, avocado needs a lot of heat and sun to fruit, and my Pacific Northwest climate is pretty much opposite. I think that tree must be about ten years old, though---the frost kills it off every few years (which is about as often as it frosts here), but it comes back every spring. I suspect that the canyon microclimate, which shields from the frost that comes much harder elsewhere close by, allows it to continue existing. That avocado tree is a survivor.

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

So much green!

I love the passionflower. My mother used to grow them on a section of chain link fence in our backyard. The climate isn't ideal for them so she would cut them down and bring them in for the winter--until the year they caught scale...

[tenaya-owlcat.livejournal.com]

Lovely garden!

And where did you get that cat statue in the first pic?

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The sculpture was from a local artist who had work available in several cute little Sebastopol shops when I was a teenager. My art teacher knew her, so I met her a couple of times...she had really lovely work. (I am trying to remember her name). She has since gone into seclusion as a Buddhist nun, as I understand, and sadly no longer produces work. My zen cat there is one of the last pieces that the store had.

[raveness-d.livejournal.com]

I am oh, so envious of your garden!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

I am glad you like it!

[ladyringo.livejournal.com]

Your garden is so pretty!

[summer-jackel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It turns out that when I tend it with a bit of consideration and fertilizer in the winter, it comes in really well in spring: who knew?