Friday, August 29, 2025
Rain!
Finally, some rain! We heard yesterday that there were yellow weather warnings for heavy rain in southern England, and at least in our area we haven't had anything that dramatic. But we are getting a long, steady soaking, which is exactly what we need. The plants all look happy.
I made the video above rather hastily this morning. As you can tell, the lawn and garden were quite dry. There are a couple of high points to watch for. First, Nicole the Nicotiana is looking better than ever, with a couple of tall, impressive flower spikes. The avocado tree on the patio is also darker and leafier than it's ever been -- it loves being outside.
You can see it's a little hard to move around on our patio, with the banana, tree fern, avocado and other plants all around, and the coltsfoot and lady's mantle growing right out of the paving stones where we would normally walk! I just don't have the heart to take it out.
Finally, in the borders, the Thalictrum is about to bloom -- it has a cloud of little pink buds at the top -- and we're getting a second flush of roses from a couple of our rose bushes.
Rain! Yay!
The space you call a garden looks like a rain forest - now complete with rain! Watch out for the jaguars and boa constrictors lurking in the undergrowth.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit jungly, I agree. And I've been trimming a lot of stuff!
DeleteI love rain and really enjoyed this video. You are so expert at keeping the camera steady and not wildly waving it all over the place. Your plants are looking so well cared for and a real credit to you. Nicole has star quality.
ReplyDeleteWendy (Wales)
Isn't Nicole impressive?! I'm amazed!
DeleteSuch a beautiful lush garden despite your recent drought.
ReplyDeleteOur promised rain was quite a damp squib. Not enough to revive my drooping rhododendrons. Still, we have our September storms to look forward to now. That should be fun.
Yeah, we're moving into a rainier season here as well. I have to start running a dehumidifier in autumn because the house gets so damp.
DeleteHow wonderful to be in your garden to see and hear the rain. Everything looks so happy. The avocado is amazing. To think that used to fit in your living room.
ReplyDeleteCrazy, right?! I'm amazed at how leafy it is.
DeleteIt was such a joy to hear the rain drumming through the night. Everything looks happier and fresher.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it really does give everything a huge boost.
DeleteLovely rain. Steady and soaking is what you need, and we need here.
ReplyDeleteAnd we need more of it!
DeleteYour garden is beautiful. You could give garden tours!
ReplyDeleteHa! It's hard enough for us to move around in this garden, much less a tour group. LOL
DeleteYay indeed!!
ReplyDeleteWe've had good, steady rain as well. It started last night and I found the sound so very comforting, sleeping by the open window.
The sun is back today, but I am sure the rain made a difference. And there is more forecast for this weekend.
There's nothing better than the sound of rain at night.
DeleteI always love the smell of rain after a long dry streak.
ReplyDeleteYes! Petrichor!
DeleteThere are few things more beautiful than a full blooming garden in the rain. Here we have proof! And your avocado is absolutely lush.
ReplyDeleteI'm very curious to see how it will do if it gets through several winters. How big could it get? Might we see fruit?
DeleteRain is wonderful after a dry spell. And you're in danger of losing your patio to the plants entirely at this rate. I hear you on not pulling out the ones that have installed themselves. I'd be tempted to plant creeping thyme between pavers, to get that wonderful scent as you tread on them. They don't mind.
ReplyDeleteCreeping thyme would probably be easier to navigate than the coltsfoot!
DeleteYour garden is full and lush and it's amazing how many plants you have fit into that city space. One would never guess you live in the London area.
ReplyDeleteLondon really is a very green city. Even urban houses often have back gardens. There's a lot of hidden green space.
DeleteRain is such a blessing when you need it. We finally got about an inch and a half earlier in the week.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we got that much, but hopefully in coming weeks we'll see more. We're getting into a traditionally rainier time of year.
DeleteNothing like a little rain to change things in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteIt's an instant freshener for the garden!
DeleteI missed the rain by not leaving the hotel until 11:00. By then it had stopped and I took a long walk but I could tell that it rained pretty well because there were puddles everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's just as well. It wouldn't have been very fun to walk around in it!
DeleteI love it after the rains come and everything looks so much more alive!
ReplyDeleteThe greenery deepens in color almost instantly.
DeleteIt will only let me comment as google and not with my new blog address. Darn! I don't even use the blog that it goes back to. (more to learn) I'm eager for some rain although I'll probably complain if we get TOO much of it. C'est la vie!
ReplyDeleteCan you link your new blog from your Google profile? Then you can comment on Google but people can still click on your profile and get back to your blog.
DeleteAfter about a week of 30+ degrees, I'm especially missing the sound of rain.
ReplyDeleteYeesh! I bet you are! We're much cooler than that here.
DeleteWhat a wonderful video! You have a much steadier hand than I do. We need rain, too, and got just under an inch last night... but it came hard and fast. I'd much rather have a gentle soaking rain like yours. Your garden is lovely!
ReplyDeleteYes, the gentle rain is optimal. Glad you liked the video!
DeleteFantastic! I love it when it rains here. Probably more rarely than in London. Your garden (jungle) looks very healthy but is there room for you and Dave to enjoy it? It looks a tad crowded.
ReplyDeleteIt IS a tad crowded. In fact, when we had the gardeners here in the spring, they wrote on the estimate that it was "overgrown," which annoyed me as I spend a heck of a lot of time out there trying to keep it in check!
DeleteI wish Australia could get some deep soaking rains, especially the farming areas which are in dire straits again.We had rain here yesterday and some hail too! but it was the really heavy kind of rain that buckets down and runs off surfaces and some northern suburbs had twin mini tornadoes ripping out trees while we near the city just had wild winds. An interesting day really. I like your garden looking so green and lush.
ReplyDeleteThat's the worst -- when you need rain and then it comes so fast and hard that it doesn't have a chance to soak in. Climate change, I fear!
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