It rained today…. SoS October 24, 2020.

It has rained today and it seems that in the matter of a morning, the garden has stood up, greened up and geared up again, rejuvenated and ready for more of the rampant flowering that has delighted us for the last few weeks. The bulbs and irises are almost over now and others have taken their place in the race to bloom that occurs when the weather warms up.

One: Above, a clamorous gathering of Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’ sharing a bed with Salvia and Dianthus. I have a number of salvia labels and this one doesn’t quite match any of them. Could be ‘Merleau Rose’. Or ‘Merleau Blue’. Or something in between.

Two: In the ‘purple corner’, Alyssum, Salvia (possibly Ostfriesland) and Centaurea dealbata

Three: Geum ‘Mrs J Bradshaw’ and Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Alba’.

Four: A longer view of the garden with a lot of white flowers. Rosa ‘Radox Bouquet’- who thinks of these names?- is just beginning to flower. I didn’t prune the roses as hard this year as I’m hoping for a taller presence from them. It’s an experiment yet to be evaluated.

This morning early I went out and sprinkled rose food around….great timing!

Five: Lousiana iris ‘Nutcote’. Nutcote is the home of Australian May Gibbs (1877-1969), the author of the iconic book ‘Snugglepot and Cuddlepie’ amongst other titles, and her characters such as the Bad Banksia Men and Bib and Bub are well known to many Australians ‘of a certain age’. This iris was hybridised by Heather Pryor in 1999 and I was lucky enough to be given some rhizomes by a good friend who was closely involved with the preservation of May Gibbs’ beautiful harbourside home in Sydney. I visited the house, which is open to the public, a couple of weeks ago, and ‘Nutcote’ irises were blooming in the garden.

Six: Some kind of Amaryllis looking perfect. I have to enjoy it now as it will most probably be devoured by the local gastropods by tomorrow morning.

As ever, I am joining in with the Six on Saturday crowd presided over by Jon aka The Propagator. Follow this link to enjoy gardens from other parts of the world.

Weather today: Rain, thunder. 17-23 degrees C. Happy gardening, everyone.

57 Comments Add yours

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you!

  1. It is all looking lovely, so pleased you have had some rain!

    1. Jane says:

      It’s still raining, a huge system that’s bringing rain to a large part of the eastern part of the country. Cause for celebration!

  2. The ‘clamorous gathering’ of plants looks a show. It’s always amazes me how quickly a dry garden perks up after some rain. Mrs G is always a winner and flowers for ages.

    1. Jane says:

      I’m really pleased with how well Geums grow in my garden. I’m keeping a lookout for others to join the crew!

  3. I do enjoy seeing spring on the other side of the world.

    1. Jane says:

      And I do too. It’s a bonus of being part of SoS.

  4. Love the sumptuous descriptions as well as the gorgeous pics. What a feast for the soul. The rain must be most welcome.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. We have been having a very good Spring this year, but also warm, so the rain is most welcome.

  5. Jim Stephens says:

    It beggars belief that your Amaryllis should get eaten by the slimy ones in your climate; is nothing safe anywhere?

    1. Jane says:

      You’ll be glad to know the Amaryllis was still intact this morning, although it was hosting a couple of snails. I got there just in time!

  6. What a lovely selection of early summer plants. My geum, which is probably the same variety, has been poor this year.

    1. Jane says:

      I wonder why that is, Granny? I divided my Totally Tangerine and it is languishing a bit so I’m hoping it will pick up soon, especially as we’ve had a good fall of rain.

  7. bonnie groves poppe says:

    Thanks as always for showing me the other side of the world! We had rain also, but it is fall rain in provence…..
    bonnie near carpentras

    1. Jane says:

      It’s my pleasure, Bonnie. I love to read about gardens in the northern hemisphere too.

  8. Heyjude says:

    Wow! What beauties. Love that first Salvia and I am surprised at how wonderful your garden is looking in late spring! So many of these flowers seem to have only just finished flowering here. And I don’t know what if any changes you have made to your account, but I no longer have to fill in my details! Yay!

    1. Jane says:

      Hi Jude, I haven’t made any changes recently, and I unticked the detail box about a year ago, but a couple of people made a similar comment. Who knows what goes on in the nether regions of WordPress? Not me!
      There does seem to be an overlapping of flowering between the two hemispheres, doesn’t there.

  9. Kris P says:

    Congratulations on the rain, Jane! Your garden is indeed looking perky. The Amaryllis could be ‘Apple Blossom’. Gray skies but no rain here, regrettably, and the likelihood of any tomorrow appears to be declining.

    1. Jane says:

      Sorry your hopes of rain are fading, Kris.
      Thanks for the Amaryllis ID. Now I should make a label and place it nearby……!

  10. Paddy Tobin says:

    A beautiful selection

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Paddy.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Gorgeous! I love those Salvia and need to note the variety. Happy Spring, I am relishing yours.

    1. Jane says:

      Salvias are favourites of mine as many of them will flower right through to the first frosts in about April. What’s not to love about a plant that does that! Thanks for your comment.

  12. Vicki says:

    A particularly lovely iris. I’ve never seen that cool colour of mauve combined with the warm colour of yellow quite like that variety before.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks for commenting on the iris, Vicki. I think it’s very interesting given its history.

  13. March Picker says:

    Oh, that iris is delicate and beautiful, Jane. Your rain dance must have worked! Your top photo shows a fabulous grouping, and “clamorous” suits it well.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, March. The iris is really lovely in closeup and I like its backstory as well.

  14. I love salvias. We got some nice rain too and I also fertilised the roses. Fingers crossed for some nice blooms now.

    1. Jane says:

      Yes, I love salvias too – such forgiving plants. They are mainstays in my garden.
      Your roses are sure to leap out of the ground after rain and a feed!

      1. I hope so. I lost several roses last year when it was so dry. Maybe this summer it will be worth replacing them. I love how salvias self sow and just keep on flowering. They’re a great filler.

  15. fredgardener says:

    So pretty Iris ! And unusual….😍

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Fred.

  16. Lovely to hear that you had rain on Saturday. We did too, in the afternoon in the form of three separate storms, which brought strong winds and even some hail. 30ml was recorded, and our tanks are full. The Gaillardia give a fantastic display, along with the Salvia. You have some really pretty flowers in your garden. I was interested to see that you are growing Geum. I was tempted to get a plant, but thought it would not grow here. Perhaps I should give it a try? I love the white flowers through the garden, which I think softens the greens. That is a beautiful iris!!

    1. Jane says:

      Although mine were gasping a bit when the temps were over 35 degrees last summer, Geums seem to be quite hardy and I don’t see why you couldn’t give them a try where you are. Glad you received some rain too!

      1. That’s great to hear. I will definitely try the germs!

        1. Geum! It germs!

  17. Sri V says:

    Wonderful close-ups 🙂

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. Just luck really as my photographing skills about to ‘point and press’.

  18. Love your photos, what a vibrant garden! I am relatively new to Geums, just tired Scarlet Tempest last year and it was incredible (but then 2 out of 3 plants sadly died in the drought we had this summer). So I planted Mrs Bradshaw this autumn and can’t wait to see the results next spring, yours looks very perky!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you! My Mrs Bradshaw managed to survive 40 degrees last summer so yours should be fine. It’s a great plant and flowers for months. I have Totally Tangerine as well, which is just as tough, not flowering so much atm as I divided it a bit late and the plants are still recovering. Thanks for the follow!

  19. Your garden is looking lovely. I was particularly struck by the gallardia and salvia combination.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. It’s quite ‘in your face’ isn’t it!

  20. rusty duck says:

    Good to hear about the rain, long may it last. It always amazes me how many plants we have in common although yours seem to be in bloom much earlier in the season than ours. Molluscs as well, somehow I don’t think of them when I think of Australia.
    Lovely to see your garden again. I can dream of spring through you!

    1. Jane says:

      Those wretched snails hibernate in adverse conditions and when it rains squadrons of them stream out to do their damage. I go out with my stamping shoes on every morning! (Sorry if that sounds a trifle cruel)
      We can grow almost anything here when we’re not experiencing extremes of heat and drought and this Spring is being particularly kind to us.

  21. Catherine says:

    Your garden is responding so well to the rain – it’s looking fabulous. Mine, on the other hand is crying out for the rain to stop for a while!

    The Gaillardia with the salvias and dianthus is a cheerful and lovely combination. I hope my Mrs Bradshaw flowers as well as yours when spring comes round again. Love your mixed planting in the long shot of the garden.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks for your kind comment. Mr MG wondered why I bothered with the long shot, but I quite liked it myself, so I’m glad someone else appreciated it!

  22. Cathy says:

    What a wonderful selection, Jane! I wish it didn’t make me want to rush on to spring. I’m trying to relish autumn. Really enjoyed your comments about the iris and their history. Plants are so connected to people and places. Your garden’s a delight!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you for commenting on the iris. It’s quite a special story. Autumn is a special season too with much to enjoy….if only it didn’t signal winter’s arrival!

  23. annamadeit says:

    Amazing what a little rain can accomplish, isn’t it? I’m also amazed you have managed to keep all those names in your head. How fun that you got to visit May Gibbs’ home and see all the blooming irises. That must have been special!

    1. Jane says:

      In truth, Anna, I don’t keep all the names in my head, but I keep the plant labels in case I can’t remember some of them! The visit to May Gibbs’ house was delightful, but unfortunately Visitors weren’t allowed to take photos inside, so I couldn’t do a post about it.

      1. annamadeit says:

        Oh, bummer…. wonder why they were so secretive about it…?

        1. Jane says:

          Copyright, I believe.

  24. Prue Batten says:

    Love your colour combos, Jane. The garden’s really looking lovely. Rain this year has made such a difference, hasn’t it? But I have to say, we’ve hadenough in Tassie – after 5 years of dry and drought, things are looking yellowed. and weary in my neck of the woods. I also envy you your hippeastrum. I have tried to grow them myself over the years with no luck and usually buy an already flowering number from the nurseries which then refuses to grow on! Cheers.

    1. Jane says:

      Thanks, Prue. It has been a very satisfying Spring here. My hippeastrum still has its flowers and hasn’t been finished off by snails which is surprising considering all the rain we’ve had. I called it an amaryllis and I’ve just done some research and I’m none the wiser!

  25. The rain cam be so refreshing and add, not subtract from an image. MM ☘️

    1. Jane says:

      That is very true, MM. In these parts we rarely complain about rain!

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