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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Capturing a raindrop

This morning is dark but not dreary. While some people moan when it rains, as long as it's not pouring I'll take advantage of the elements and get out there and take some photos.

My simple camera doesn't focus well in these low light conditions so I might try this again as the sun comes up higher (even behind all these rain filled clouds). Still, here's some raindrops that I've managed to capture, beginning with raindrops on the Euphorbia polychroma that has finished blooming.

This is what the view out of the breezeway looks like. I don't think the black plastic will be killing too many weeds today.

The Baptisias are beginning their spectacular show. In fact, I had planned on writing a post just about them until the raindrops caught my fancy. Maybe tomorrow I'll focus on the Baptisias that I adore. This one is 'Twilite Prarieblues' which is brand new to my garden and just beginning to bloom.

Under the Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' is a St. John's wort shrub. Unfortunately juggling my camera and the umbrella left me no free hands to look for a name tag.

The herb garden still needs so much work but the back corner, nearest my neighbors stinky black walnut trees is starting to shape up with pots filled with herbs and veggies.

Still thinking you like white vinyl fences? Hopefully we're not too many years away from my dream of this area being filled with a white Rhododendron and backed by an Acer 'Bloodgood' seedling. The Acer (red maple) was only a foot tall two years ago and now is at least four feet tall. Two more years and it should cover much of that hideous fence. Won't it be the perfect backdrop for the white Rhododendron?

This is the Geranium cantabrigiense 'Karmina' that I dug and divided for our plant sale. I got 18-20 pots all together and just stuck the left over pieces back in the ground. I think this clump is 5 feet across already. Now that I know what I'm doing I expect that next year I will have more pots of 'Karmina' and it's paler sister 'Biokova' than you can possibly imagine.

It's a good day for muck shoes :-)

Thalictrum against the red twig dogwood is my idea of a great combination. Still, I need more Thalictrum for this to really shine and there must be a dozen plants there now.

This is the same area only without using the zoom lens. It's almost impossible to pick out that Thalictrum now but you sure can see how lovely the purple leaved Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford' looks.

Just a sneak peak at another Baptisia. This one stops me in my tracks with it's ghostly white blooms and gray foliage all shimmering with raindrops.

Finally, what's this? A surprise gift for me! How lovely, a fellow blogger left me a pot of that white Scilla that I had seen in the Shakespeare garden and coveted so much. Thank you!

So what do you do on rainy days?

9 comments:

Beth said...

Hey Melanie - I love your blog!!!
I've been reading through it all morning - because, well, it's raining here! I love viewing my garden in the rain - colors look more vivid and I'm always encouraged to see the growth happening right before my eyes.
Please stop by my blog - I'd love your insight into what I'm doing and what I can improve upon ...
http://ndgardengirl.blogspot.com/

Beth

Unknown said...

Why, I read your blog, of course! I also read it on non-rainy days. I can't help but wonder, though, do you suppose your neighbor reads it too?

Melanie Chopay said...

Hi Beth, thanks for the compliment! I just stopped by your blog and loved it too.

Good morning Pauline, you had me smiling here with that comment. No, I don't think that my neighbor reads my blog, she doesn't even know my name (nor do I know hers). If she did though I hope she'd also feel the same way about the fence. The first time I saw white vinyl fences I too thought they could be a good thing. Maybe that's why I keep bringing up how much I detest this fence so other people don't make the same mistake. I do hope that someday I can afford to replace our wooden fence that those neighbors ruined.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey Melanie
It is a rain day here too .. but I'm wrestling with the laundry monster .. I would love to get out and take some pictures because those water droplets are gorgeous if you can catch them just right. It is a PJ day .. so sneaking out .. well .. I think I scare the neighborhood enough with other antics .. this would be CRUEL ? LOL
What is the baptisia that is so white ? .. don't tell me .. "white baptisia" ? LOL
Joy

Anonymous said...

When it's raining I read blogs,lol!
I wrote the geranium's name down, I don't have any but like the fact that they spread so much. I have loads of space in my flower border!!!

Gail said...

Melanie, it looks wonderful in the garden! I think your driveway bed...does it have another name?...must be larger than I think to sport a 5 foot section of Geranium!

Aren't Baptisias wonderful...I recently planted one named Moonlight...can't wait to see it bloom...in the future!

The Rhodo will look good against the J Maple.

Oh, I wish that it would rain....here.


Gail

chey said...

Love your raindrop photos Melanie! They are just glistening. The rest of your garden looks wonderful as well.I like the combination of plantings by your white vinyl fence.Your Bloodgood maple should grow up nicely.Cheers!

Kristi said...

The rain looks so refreshing and everything is so green.

Unknown said...

Well, when I know it's supposed to rain I run around frantically (you know, like a chicken with it's head cut off) and plant the last of the things I bought to plant this spring. I am pooped now, and it never did rain today. GRR.

What a nice surprise to find on your doorstep. Someone must really like you!