I’ve had my fill of sunny, seventy-five degree days. Finally, there’s been enough rain that I’m happy to sit at the window watching as puddles swell on the patios, and now I won’t have to fret about another week without measurable rainfall for awhile. The Japanese maples I planted a few days ago should be happy, and I am too.

Typically, I figure that the garden’s peak is from mid-May into June, but I think this was cut a bit short after six weeks with hardly a drop of rain. The garden’s still in good shape, I think, but this rain should perk it up. Summer heat must be around the corner, but this will keep things looking good until the next batch of stormy days. The ideal is a mix of sun and rain, but we don’t get to choose.

I notice several bunches of apples on the espalier on the shed wall (above). They’re still small, but I expect again that deer will get to them before I do. No matter, I wanted an espalier and didn’t care what it was, so I never really planned on eating the apples. I rarely eat more than a few handfuls of blueberries from the huge bushes at the rear of the garden, leaving them for the birds since I can reach only the lower half. People who grow apples tell me they must be sprayed to keep the worms out, but of course I don’t and the deer don’t complain.

In recent years, I’ve noted the reduced number of honeybees in the garden, but on a sunny day there are now more on the Oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia, above) beside the koi pond than I could possibly count. There have always been plenty of carpenter and bumble bees in the garden, and loads of smaller bees I can’t identify, but I’m happy to see more of any pollinator.

Happily, the various sea hollies (Eryngium) have adapted well to well drained soils, including a tiny one in the gravel based rock garden (above). Happiest, is the tall growing Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium, below), with one growing to four feet and the other over six. Both tend to flop a bit, so they require some support. These are not refined, mannerly plants, but neither is this garden.

Several clumps of lilies have multiplied considerably. None last for long, but the succession keeps several flowering for weeks. Rain or shine, I’m in the garden enjoying every day.