On a rainy morning like today, the temptation is to roll over, pull a leaf over your head and go back to sleep. Obviously a lot of people must be doing this, because there is hardly any one in the Garden. Just a few gardeners, the luckless “light crew” setting up for this winter’s Garden of Lights and a few hardy souls brave enough to dodge the raindrops. Everyone else is staying inside and they don’t know what they’re missing.
Rain can really change a garden and I’m not talking about the whole “plants need water” thing. Obviously rain keeps plants thriving, but during a rain shower, the atmosphere, or ambience, of the garden itself dramatically changes. At first it seems a little more quiet than usual, but listen again. Raindrops falling provide a 
gentle background sound. Water drops dripping through tree leaves creates a special rhythm. Your feet splashing through a puddle, squishing on the grass turf or crunching on the shell paths of the Colonial Garden adds an extra layer of music. A lot of birds are twittering in the trees while a kingfisher is chattering up and down the canal, defending his territory. People are less noisy, but you can really hear the sounds of nature.
On a misty day like to today, the colors really stand out. All the moisture on the plants makes their colors saturated. If photographers weren’t so scared to get their cameras wet, they would find that colors are richer, more vibrant. Especially the blues. In full sun, blues can fade very quickly, while on a cloudy, wet day they really pop. For example, the color of the monkshood (or wolf’s bane) in the hydrangea garden is very 
rich, showcasing the cluster of blue hoods at the top of a long stalk.
Other colors are just as vibrant. The red berries of the tea viburnums glisten a little extra brightly with drops of water hanging on them. Globe amaranths are covered in rich balls of purple and pink. The delicate orange of the tassel flower or the white blossoms of the flowering tobacco are enhanced by the rich greens of the moistened foliage in the background. Even the yellows of the Maximillian sunflower seem a little brighter.
Raindrops physically affect the plants as well. Delicate grasses such as Muhly grass are bowed down by the weight. Drops of water are caught in the airy flowers, making it look like a sugar laden cotton candy. Some flowers also droop 
because of the water collecting on them – old garden roses in the Colonial Garden like Cramoisie Superior, Old Blush and Le Vesuve are good examples. Other stronger plants just shrug it off, forcing the water to collect in drops across their surface – go see the confederate rose or the hardy mums in the perennial garden or some of the fall blooming camellias for good examples. Fuzzy plants like the Mexican sage or lambs ear collect water in their tiny “hairs” so they look like sparkly crystals caught in the flowers.
So stay curled up in your warm bed (or in my case, a flower bed) and ignore the rain. Or come out to see this wonderful wet Garden.
No Comments