Thinking of rain, dreaming of it, visualizing it or doing a rain dance just doesn’t work when trying to manifest it. All is dependent on Mother nature and whatever her mood is or might be. We have gone far too long without it and finally a storm has arrived, bringing it’s generous touch of moisture to the environment and my garden.
It was quiet and subtle not quite penetrating my sleep as I drifted along in my dreams. Just a very quiet “swishing” sound, the kind that’s a bit hypnotic and peaceful. I awoke a bit and then heard it and thought to myself how good it sounded and not too hard, just enough to revive the dried earth in southern California.
Southern California is considered a desert but that certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t need rain and the native plants can’t go without water indefinitely either. Drought conditions these last few years have made for difficult choices when it comes to using water in a responsible manner and people have been forced to chose between their lawns or having a huge water bill.
The good news (along with the rain), is that by having water shortages it has made it more apparent to the public the necessity to learn how to get by on less of it. And given that, the question of how to landscape a yard differently and have it still look good has started to shape how people view their properties and learn to use the most ecological and environmentally sensitive methods of design and plants for their landscaping.
Tropical landscaping has been quite popular as well as English gardens but neither are realistic choices when used in in a Mediterranean climate such as what we have here in southern California. There is a growing interest in the use of natives and with that, there is more information about them than there was in the past and more nurseries are starting to provide the stock to meet the demand.
The rain started falling gently in the middle of the night and the sound was quite lovely as I listened to the gentle sounds of dripping water fall from the edge of the roof and land on the ground outside my bedroom window. I visualized my garden, opening itself up to the nourishment of the water as it fell on each plant and soaked the mulch and ground as it slowly saturated the soil around each one of them.
Rainy Day in the Garden
Somehow everything looks greener and the garden looks refreshed with its wet shiny surfaces. The litter of leaves from the Liquid Amber trees look more vibrant in their autumn, earthy jewel tones of fading color and they add texture and beauty to the garden as it embraces the first winter storm of the season.
