A rain-soaked Wednesday vignette

Before I moved to Portland (back in the stone age) I imagined Oregon to be exactly as I experienced most of today: misty, gentle precipitation that gradually soaked my green surroundings. I fantasized it hydrating me at the same time as it fed the earth. And I thought it would be ecological nirvana.

Since living here, my Oregon reality is a lot more balanced. After all, we have these dry Mediterranean summers. But seeing this piece of my creative neighbor Julie's retaining wall today brought me back to my imagined future habitat. It's a moist medley of stones, marble, salvaged iron, a big cast-off shellfish, succulents, nasturtiums and a tiny white-flowered begonia. The wet, shining Liriodendron tulipifera leaves add a seasonal stained-glass accent I love.

I'm joining my friend Anna at her blog Flutter and Hum today. Check out other Wednesday vignettes, including hers, by clicking over.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2015

I'm a day late in posting for Bloom Day, but it will be a quick read as I only have a few flowers blooming this month. Here's your brief tour:

Abutilon megapotamicum may deserve this year's award for the longest bloom period. Since April of this year, it's been continuously pumping out blossoms.
Just like me, Punica granatum 'Nana' is happy that the days are still warm and sunny.

The tiny mallow-like blossoms of Sphaeralcea 'Newleaze Coral' pack a colorful punch once they open in the sun each day.

I'm cheating a little with Cuphea 'Tiny Mice' since I picked it up in bloom from Pomarius Nursery this week, but it's so cute I just had to include it.

Rosa 'Sally Holmes' has just a few bloom trusses left.

Likewise, Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma' is on its last legs but deserves mention as it brightens up the area under a Trachycarpus fortunei.

A couple of random Ceanothus blossoms were this week's surprise.

All the Rosemary plants around the house are quietly doing their fall bloom thing.

Also vying for the title of longest blooming plant, Erigeron glaucus flowers on.

A fun development in the Northwest Territory is a couple of Digitalis that matured to bloom this year. I know these are biennials, so I'm wondering how I managed to miss their little rosettes last year.

Click on over to May Dreams Gardens to see flowers from gardens all over.
Happy Bloom Day!

Wednesday vignette - an undisturbed corner of my back garden

With our patio and path project creating chaos in most of my garden, I've been pretty much on a blogging hiatus. Don't get me wrong - even though it's going pretty slowly, I'm very excited about the progress of the project. It's cool to see our vision for the spaces taking shape, but I am looking forward to it being done so I can put the garden back together.

Out taking pictures of the project yesterday, I found a corner of my garden that is still untrammeled and soothing.

Now, if I pull back a bit, you'll see what's in the foreground of this little corner.

And if I really pull back, you can see the entire patio space in the foreground.

As we wait somewhat impatiently for the concrete contractor (hopefully next week?) let's just re-frame back to the plants, okay?

A little cropping creates a tranquil scene for Anna's Wednesday Vignette meme over at Flutter and Hum. Less exciting, yes, but infinitely more soothing.

Wednesday Vignette - a view from the Back Bay Inn

I'm such a sun-lover that, as much as we need any available rain, today's drizzle made me immediately start flipping through my files of sunny images for solace.

I took this shot from the balcony of our room at the Back Bay Inn in Los Osos, California, early on a late January morning. The temperature was cool, the bay was like glass, and the sun caught the dunes in the background perfectly.
As I regale myself with sun pictures today, I'm joining my friend Anna to celebrate her weekly meme. Take a trip to Flutter and Hum to see more Wednesday vignettes today.