Monday, August 9, 2010

A Garden Refreshed

Last night a gentle, long-lasting rain fell.  This morning a refreshed, revived garden greeted me.  When the rain falls gently, soaking into the ground the plants are able to enjoy the benefits of the much needed water.


There was no soil erosion or standing puddles to put stress on the root systems of the growing garden greenery.  Foliage shows up so much clearer after a rain.  All the subtle shades of green standout and shine.


All foliage isn't green though. 


Purples and reds pop out from among the verdant leafiness.


Some of the bromeliads are putting out new life while others are just beginning to bloom. 


Last night's rain collected in a reflective pool within the cup of this bromeliad.  Bright fuschia colors the inner leaves indicating the bloom that can't be seen inside the watery center.  Soon there will be new pups growing beside this mother plant.


The wetness of the leaves brings such contrast to the shades of green and the purple and yellow.  This shady corner seems dark at times, but this morning it is full of color. 


The variegated leaves with red shooting through them is one of my favorite combos of color. 


There is nothing quite like a well-watered garden. 

9 comments:

  1. True words, NanaK. Love your garden! It is a vibrant mix of tropicals. Love the stromanthe, ti plant, dracaenas, and especially the broms. I just split up and replanted some brom pups this afternoon. I like your garden decor too.

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  2. You are sooooo right...there is nothing like a well-watered garden. Thank God for yesterday's rainy day. We needed a good soaking. Your garden definitely looks refreshed. You've got some nice colorful foliage combinations. I really like the var. schflerra. It's a great plant in the shade or sun.

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  3. NanaK: Your water splashed garden looks so refreshing! Love all those tropical foliage, colors fit together so beautifully! Your broms look very healthy. My brome corner is also setting quite some of pups, very exciting!

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  4. Love your gazing ball art. Did you do that yourself? Beautiful.

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  5. Floridagirl - I'm hoping the broms just keep multiplying and filling in where I have them. I'm liking them more and more. Don't know why I didn't start with them sooner. I always love seeing yours and getting to know their names. I don't know a lot of the names for mine or I've forgotten them.

    Susan - Yes, we have been low on rainfall this year around my garden. I'm wondering why the watering restrictions have been relaxed some. I usually can get by on my rain barrels but they have been dry more than once this summer. Maybe I've just been in a "cone of dryness."

    Ami - Thanks for your kind comments. Isn't it fun to have plants multiply and give us more for free?

    ChrisC - Thanks for stopping by. We've been so dry here at My Garden Path, I just had to celebrate the rainfall.

    Susan - Yes, I did the mosaic myself. It's a bowling ball. Not as beautiful as your creations. Very rough edges. I used some glass tiles I got from Habitat for Humanity. I should have tumbled them to smooth them out some but I didn't know about that at that time.

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  6. Lovely photos, NanaK, you've become so good with the camera!
    I'm loving the rain. My plan this weekend: no grocery shopping, no toilet scrubbing. I will be planting and planting in hopes everything gets well established before we dry up again in September.

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  7. Kay,
    Your garden is looking more than lovely. It has filled out so much since this winter and all the colors of foliage are just beautiful. We had more showers this morning but the sun has come back out to help dry things out again. I like this cycle. Rain, then sun, then rain again.

    Your garden is definitely refreshed and happy. You are definitely making good use of your camera these days. Your photos are so nice!
    Meems

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  8. Penny - I like your weekend plan. It's pretty much my plan all the time.

    Meems - Thank you for the nice words about my garden. I'm having fun learning to use this camera, but I have a whole lot of options I do not know how to use yet.

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Thank you for travelling down My Garden Path with me. I love hearing from you. Please leave a comment and share what is going on in your gardens.

NanaK