We Finally Got Rain

We got rain! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Okay, I really didn’t want so much of it that it washed the mulch out of the beds into the lawn, but I’ll take what ever I can get. Even if it does require me to do a little more work. Jamie and I installed a drip and sprinkle system in the entire yard for all the plants early this spring, so we really haven’t been affected much by the lack of rain. However, like my old boss lady use to say to me. ”Child, don’t nothin’ make a plant grow like God’s water.” Then she would send me promptly out into the pouring down rain with empty buckets to place in the parking lot of the store to catch rainwater for her African violets. Mrs. Kitty was more like another mother to me than a boss lady, so even though I despised getting wet, I would always run out there with those buckets. She always walked around talking to her violets like they were little people telling them how pretty they were. “Now push out some pretty flowers for MawMaw to enjoy.” Sometimes, just to aggravate her on the days I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about getting wet, I would lean over to the one nearest me and mockingly say, “You sure are an ugly little thing.” She would come up out of that chair and say how dare you speak to my babies like that. I would just giggle to myself. Alright, I know it wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but it gave moments of entertainment during the times of boredom. Of course, I always secretly loved them as much as she did. She gave up her store just so I could become a manager and she let me have my choice of the violets to keep. With the understanding of course, that I was to treat it like she always did with no nasty little remarks.

The daylilies are starting to slow down a little bit on the blooming, but the cannas are getting started. We have several putting on a show right now. I just don’t understand how someone can not like a canna. They multiply fast so you can share them with friends and the blooms are just as beautiful as any orchid I’ve ever seen. So why do they get such a bad rap? I don’t understand. Now they come with such interesting foliage too, purple, green, red, bronze, striped and variegated. Here are some of the ones that are blooming now, mixed with pictures of other things. Look at the gorgeous bloom on ‘Orange Beauty’. See the striations of darker orange on the petals? I think it’s just wonderful.

'OrangeBeauty'

I’m not particularly excited about this ‘Red King Humbert’ and I’m not really certain why. I like it, I think it’s pretty, but it just doesn’t captivate me the way some blooms do. Maybe it will grow on me some.

'Red King Humbert'

This pretty yellow bloom is one of the new daylilies we got this past weekend. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful to me than a yellow flower. Something about them just whispers be cheerful in my ear every time I see one.

'Yellow Lollipop'

Back to the cannas again, this one is ‘Crimson Beauty’. It looks more like a “pink” beauty to me, but then again I am color deficient, so I probably don’t see it in the actual shade of red it is. I’m not so sure everyone doesn’t see colors in different shades. Sorry about the ugly chain link fence, its part of the yard and it keeps the neighbor’s aggressive dog from eating me up when he’s outside. He’s a mean dog.

'Crimson Beauty'

'Yellow King Humbert'

This is one of the two turkscap plants we have. We have a red one and a pink one. It also has a variety with white blooms and one with variegated foliage that I would absolutely love to have if I could just find them.

'Big Momma'

'Miss Oklahoma'

I L-O-V-E this daylily. It’s the most beautiful shade of purple. I would almost be willing to do an entire bed in this color.

'Grape Ripple'

Some Cosmos....

'Pam's Pink'

'Cleopatra'

Last but not least....

'Merle Kent'