Disdain for the Rain

For as long as I can remember I have struggled to grow my most favorite flower of all, the tall and whimsical delphinium. There should be a most wanted poster for the mayhem and death I have caused for this species of plant. For the first time in my life I have finally cultivated a rich (well in my small world) crop of lovely, healthy plants that are thriving and putting on quite a show here at Dragonfly Hill. Enter.................heavy rains and ocean winds. Island weather here in Maine can be a challenge to say the least for any gardener. Over the very cold and and very windy winter I lost my twelve year old New Dawn Rose climber, a very sad day indeed. But today, gale force winds and high sea warnings mean bad news for the Lobster man's traps and also for tall and stalky garden plants.

At this time of summer at Dragonfly Hill the fireflies are out in full force, and the peonies are winding down. They have the potential to be very messy, dropping all their lovely petals in the heavy winds and rain. Knowing we had a storm coming, I managed to get into the garden yesterday and cut the large drooping heads of most of the peonies. This will save me loads of time picking up the slimy leavings of petals strewn all over the garden beds.

I love rain, I really do, I am a gardener now for 30 + years, I know how important it is. As I sit inside today I cringe with each gust I hear battering the windows. Each time I hear the pattering of heavy rain sweep by I curse the storm out loud. I did brace my regal stalks with free standing plant holders hoping this would suffice in case a heavy rain came along. I could tell this morning this would not be enough. As I looked out the window into the garden I could see several of the stalks were past repair. Out I went into the pelting rain with my shears and collected what I could, a second trip to place more bracing wires and back to the house I ran.

I have always been very reluctant to clip my delphiniums and use them in arrangements, I would rather buy them at the store than remove them from the landscape of my garden. I will enjoy this arrangement immensely knowing they did not die by my hand. Tomorrow I will assess the damage and make the repairs that I can, as for today............