Monday, December 3, 2012

Dripping wet


Lovely sound, gentle rain on a tin roof. And the changes a bit of morning rain brings to the garden are so tempting. No matter how much it rains, I just have to go out there and soak it up (the imagery, not the water). One delightful thing that rain does to the garden is that some plants actually look their best when they're wet, such as this weeping Acacia cognata, pictured below.

Though this is a wattle it doesn't flower in a
wattley way. It's a foliage plant that has come
into vogue in recent years, but it's a tricky
thing to keep happy in humid Sydney.
Somehow mine has survived (maybe that's
because it's one of "Pam's plants" of which
there are several here in the garden). When it
rains it becomes sparkly with raindrops held
in place against the laws of gravity.

You'd never notice this tiny spider web on top of the Acacia
when it's dry, but in this morning's rain it's a foam of rain bubbles.
I was almost going to leave my morning's posting on raindrops at simply admiring the lovely little weepy Acacia, but with little pocket camera in hand, everywhere I turned there was something which looked a bit lovelier in the rain. So here's a few more...


Looking almost waterproof, Sedum 'Autumn Joy'.

This other succulent sedum looks as if someone has hit the
'pause' button. Raindrops which should be sliding down the
smooth sides just hang onto the side as if they're blobs of glue.

Still green and young, these will grow up to
become Turkish Brown Figs one day.

I think the PestOil which I sprayed onto my Thai makrut lime
leaves (to deter aphids and citrus leaf miner) has played a hand
in making these leaves so water-repellent.

And lettuce always looks more delicious in the rain.
It hasn't really rained here enough during spring, so the garden needs a good drink. No matter how well I attempt to water all the plants here during the dry periods, they always prefer a drink from the heavens rather from the end of a hose. There's magic in rainwater: if you go outside in the rain, sometimes you can see it.





6 comments:

Bush and Beach (Australia) said...

I agree; plants always respond much better to rain than any amount of watering by man. I wonder why!

Lanie said...

You are making me feel a bit better for my pathetic specimens (now long gone - pulled out) of acacia cognata. Mine were not happy in our soil or humidity and always looked scant and sick. Yours however looks beautiful! It looks like it is in a pot, which I am sure is a very good idea esp. for drainage.

Jamie said...

Yep, Lanie, it's in a pot, but it has been a battle to keep it alive.

Last year it was the Attack of the Giant Mealybugs; just at the same time I was given a bottle of 'Eco-Pest' organic spray which smelled of Eucalyptus oil, and that, in tandem with some deft work with bamboo skewers, repelled the invasion.

As well as being in a pot, it's on pot feet and there's paving underneath to dampen humidity as well.

And I don't think I'd ever dare repot it!


Helen/patientgardener said...

I like the fig picture - the raindrops are almost geometric in their pattern

Sue Kerr said...

I share your appreciation of a good rainfall, for the watering value, and the way it gives a whole new beauty to the leaves, spiderwebs and fruit. Your figlets looks so hopeful. We have a treefull this year, but the big quesion is "will they ripen?"

It's raining in Wellington this morning. I will head out with my camera shortly.

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