Why I Can't Garden in the Rain

Nessie covered with Virginia Creeper

This was suppose to be the week of planting, and laying water pipe, and mulching.

Instead it is the week of sitting inside listening to the rain.

I know we need the rain. My rain barrels are full, the blueberry plants are in heaven (they have no words for "too much rain"), the irises are blooming, and the Virginia Creeper is spreading like wildfire.

I have a love/hate relationship with Virginia Creeper. For those of you not gifted with this wild perennial, it's a vine that spreads sometimes as much as a foot a day. And all along that foot of vine, new plants spring up.

It's the perfect plant for covering the fence along the puppy pen, and in the fall, the leaves turn bright red.

Other than that, it takes over everything (well, everything that isn't overrun by wiregrass, it's evil twin with no redeeming qualities). Already this year I've pulled up massive amounts out of the onion bed, and it's creeped back already.

It's is kindof pretty though, with those delicate bright green tendrils. For the sake of my sanity I'll continue to think of it that way. For at least another week or so. After that's it's toast.

Massive rainfall also brings huge showy iris blooms. I love irises - no maintenance, no special care, poor soil is fine - the perfect garden flower.

This is my favorite photo. Just to the right is the trunk of a old locust tree, complete with a fern-covered shady entrance, leading to a hollowed out nest. I suspect this is where our possum family has made its home, but I'm not about to stick my hand in there to find out.

After our possum-encounter-of-the-third-kind earlier this week, we have established a truce. They stay out of my greenhouse, and I will stay out of their tree trunk.