Boom Day - After The Deluge

We are interrupting our Colorado travelogue because it is the fifteenth of the month, which can only mean it is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, a wonderful on-line institution founded by Carol at May Dreams Garden.

When we got back from our trip west, I could tell that we had recently had a good rain, but I could also tell that most of the time we were gone it was dry. There was a little browning around the edges on some of the plants and a general weak look to others. However, August has proven to be a very wet here in Norfolk with 8.3" of rain so far in a month where 4.5" is usually the total for the entire month. Last week we had close to 4" of rain, and Wednesday we had 3" with most of that falling in a little more than an hour. It came late in the afternoon, just before rush hour, closing interstates, flooding tunnels and swamping many cars. Unfortunately this flooding is not that unusual of an event here. When you have miles of flat land barely above sea level, fast falling rain goes nowhere fast. God help us if we ever have a real hurricane (and no, Hurricane Isabel was not a real one).

Anything remotely tropical, like my Siam Ruby Banana (Musa acuminata 'Siam Ruby') has enjoyed the rain.

Angelonia angustifolia (sorry I do not remember the cultivar)

Alabama Sunset Coleus (Solenostemon scutellariodes 'Alambama Sunset')

Lantana camara (another cultivar whose name escapes me, the nurseryman should get a small note book and write something in it from time to time)

New Gold Lantana (Lantana camara 'New Gold') - Neither this one nor the one above are supposed to be perennial here, but this will be their second summer.

Profusion Fire Zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia x elegans 'Profusion Fire') - If you are not growing Zinnias from this series, you should. The are quite prolific, mildew free and will go until a freeze.

Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii)

I know Liriope (Liriope muscari) is as common as dirt, but a coworker and I noticed this one among all the others as standing out for a bigger, more colorful flower. So we bought it and split it.

Sunrise Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora 'Sunrise') - I am not an advocate for regular pruning, but this plant needs it.

I gave up on trying to pull the Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) out from under one of the Crape Myrtles and decided to just let it be. Anything that is willing to grow where this plant does can have at it.

Speaking of Crapes, this is their shedding season, and I even like this aspect of them. There outer layer of bark exfoliates in huge long strips as if they went to the beach and forgot the sun screen.

I am going to end with one of my garden visitors enjoying the Fennel. I believe this will turn into a Black Swallowtail.

Please give Carol a visit to see what other gardeners are enjoying this August.

Grand Lake, CO

After a few days in Denver, we headed into the Rockies, over the continental divide to Grand Lake, Colorado. Grand Lake is the state's largest natural body of water, and together with several nearby man-made lakes, it helps provide water for other parts of the state. It was formed when glacial action dammed several local streams. The indigenous Utes called it Spirit Lake as they believed the souls of the dead called its cold waters home. The waters were indeed cold - cold enough for this Southern boy to stay out thus avoiding a swim with the departed.

The Ute's crossed the mountains from the prairie each summer to hunt here, but had enough sense to head back before winter came with its heavy snows and cold. Non-natives began settling here permanently in the late 1800's and the town of Grand Lake began to take shape. From its infancy the town depended on tourism, but when Rocky Mountain National Park was formed and the town became the Western entrance, this reliance became concrete. The main street is Grand Ave., and it has wooden sidewalks, many of which are covered and remind me of a scene from an old western (except I don't recall seeing such colorful hanging baskets and planters in the movies, or Lupines growing in the streets). I think I saw only one saloon, many of the businesses were selling dubious and serious western themed art, lamps made from antlers, blankets, t-shirts, post cards and such. There were a few places selling nice stuff, and one in particular had a great garden out back that overlooked the lake.

Away from Grand Ave., down by the lake shore is a scenic old yacht club, a municipal park and a small swimming beach (for people from Greenland). Also near the lake is the Kauffman House, which is an old hotel made from logs that has been restored with many original furnishings and is used as the town museum. It offered a nice break from all the commerce half a block away and gave us a good look into the area's past.

One of our intrepid hostesses, Sherpa Girl B. found us a lovely cabin on the outskirts of town near Lake Columbine. However, the word cabin is a bit misleading, this place was bigger, more well appointed, cleaner and generally nicer than our own house. The gardener in the group was as equally pleased with the cabin's landscape, or lack thereof. Nearly all of it had been left natural with Lodgepole Pines and Blue Spruce coming up through a very thick carpet of mostly unfamiliar wildflowers.

Potentilla fruiticosa - Shrubby Cinquefoil

Hordeum jubatum - Foxtail Barley

Ipomopsis aggegata - Western Scarlet Gilia

One of the other attractions of the cabin was being entertained by the ever-changing skies, especially at dusk and at night. After dark the clean, clear air made it possible to see the Milky Way, fast moving satellites and shooting stars.

Next Colorado Post: An Alpine Hike