the bright light of the clouds
The skies are very bright in spite of the rain, not with the warm radiance that sunshine brings, but with the cooler, unsaturated range of reflected light.
It stormed a lot lately and during the strong summer storms the clouds descend so close to the ground it feels like dusk in the middle of the day. There is not much to do in the garden when it rains, not unless you want to get soaked, so I resigned myself to watch the grass grow too tall and the weeds get comfortable in the flower beds while I’m writing about gardening instead of doing it.
The perennials are right in the middle of the early summer pause and normally that would mean that they look a little dusty and dry, but not this year, when the abundant water pushed the plants’ foliage into overdrive to the detriment of flowers.
The garden phlox is the exception. It started blooming sometimes at the end of May and it’s still going strong, filling the wet garden with its unmistakable fragrance.The air has been steadily humid for a month now, cool and humid, it reminds me of foggy mornings in the mountains or tropical places in winter, it’s almost too cool for June, not that I’m complaining, mind you.
Every now and then I catch a break between raindrops and get out into the garden to breathe in the wet air that coats the lungs like a balm. Add in the green fragrance of flowers and foliage and you got yourself instant aromatherapy.
Vegetation thrives in this constant mist which makes it feel, at least temporarily, like it grows in the middle of a rain forest. The hostas are in plant heaven with their broad leaves perpetually covered in dew, but they put off blooming until the sunshine returns.
Previous Post
Next Post
