Pentecost at a Hip, Episcopal Church

Four Inches of Rain - One Day of Sun - Another Round of Storms

A clay pot like this makes a great shelter for a toad,
and that one toad will eat 10,000 insects in one summer.

We had heavy showers lately, so much that visibility was almost zero. We also had long, steady rains, enough to leave standing water in the backyard. Memorial Day was sunny, and now a new storm is rolling in, almost identical to the last one.

The birds ate in the rain yesterday. One even sat on the bird swing while the rain came down - perhaps wanting a complete, free shower. When they eat food in the rain, I assume a lot more inclement weather coming.

The rain-barrels are full, but no plant needs more rain.

"Where is the good in all this?" as Pangloss would say (Voltaire, Candide, for the Mequon graduates). Roses love this kind of weather. They are far more tolerant of cold than most people imagine, so I am inclined to plant the warm-loving crops (corn, pumpkins, tomatoes) after Memorial Day next year.

Roses love the constant rain, the gentle nitrogen compounds feeding the plant, microbes, and earthworms. The rain also keeps the wood/newspaper mulch damp, dark, and welcoming for the fungal jungle that supports all plants.

The last heavy rain brought big, round, black beetles. I looked them up - they are apparently rain beetles. One ended in a plastic pot of rainwater, doing the backstroke ineffectively. I put the pot where a bird could deliver a round steak to her babies.

The threatened earwig invasion (because of my mulch) has not happened so far.

We had a spring like this in Columbus, and a rose garden in front. I cut a dozen roses a day and took them to church on Sundays, to Chris' job Monday-Friday. I also gave them away to the neighborhood kids. In St. Louis was another soaking spring, and the roses did well. I planted two groups of roses on the block, and they prospered in the rain.

I planned two rows here where the red roses would alternate with white ones. The roses along the Gardener's fence are blooming now, and the effect is already quite impressive. The other row of red and white, the first full row in the front rose garden.

The biggest surprise, based on cost, is the eruption of $5 roses. All ten are already blooming with abandon. Planting them made me think they were older than the normal two-year bare root roses. The strength of the plant suggested a quick start, with bright yellows, a dark orange, and purple.

Mr. Lincoln is just as vigorous in the backyard and the front, among the first to bloom. The rose displays in many ways - the bud, the deep red blossom, and the blossom slowly turning to purple as it opens. Besides that, the fragrance from one Mr. Lincoln rose is powerful.

The Peace roses are just starting to bud and bloom. Roses need time to establish their roots and feed the growth cycle.