Coral Bells, All in the Rain

Red Foliage of Coral Bells

Not too many flowers in the perennial garden yet, but some of the foliage is quite attractive wearing this morning’s rain drops.

The start to the Memorial Day weekend was a rainy one. I watched the sky for awhile this morning, the gray clouds massing dark and brooding. Then the clouds thinned ever so slightly and a patch opened, a portal of blue sky.

We planted the perennial garden 3 years ago, and we spent a long, hot month digging up grass, adding mulch and compost and more black rich earth, and then choosing perennials according to size and color and blooming time. There was this big plan drawn out on paper, but we’ve lost a a few plants each year, so the plan has gone awry. We started putting in whatever we were attracted to, and our spur-of-the-moment choices were not always the right size or color, or they bloomed all in one area at the same time. But I always pick perennials with foliage I think is lovely, so there are yellow green leaves, deep green shiny leaves, variegated white and green leaves, and dark purple ones all tumbled in with the usual garden greens. Almost like a mixed salad of foliage.  Today there were only the starts of a couple of flowers in bloom, so I photographed leaves in swirls and curly leaves, all with rainy bits dressing their surfaces.

It was a great way to begin the long weekend!