Coral Bells, All in the Rain

After the Storm

Red Foliage of Coral Bells

Not too many flowers in the perennial garden yet, but some of the foliage is quite attractive wearing this morning’s rain drops.

The start to the Memorial Day weekend was a rainy one. I watched the sky for awhile this morning, the gray clouds massing dark and brooding. Then the clouds thinned ever so slightly and a patch opened, a portal of blue sky.

We planted the perennial garden 3 years ago, and we spent a long, hot month digging up grass, adding mulch and compost and more black rich earth, and then choosing perennials according to size and color and blooming time. There was this big plan drawn out on paper, but we’ve lost a a few plants each year, so the plan has gone awry. We started putting in whatever we were attracted to, and our spur-of-the-moment choices were not always the right size or color, or they bloomed all in one area at the same time. But I always pick perennials with foliage I think is lovely, so there are yellow green leaves, deep green shiny leaves, variegated white and green leaves, and dark purple ones all tumbled in with the usual garden greens. Almost like a mixed salad of foliage.  Today there were only the starts of a couple of flowers in bloom, so I photographed leaves in swirls and curly leaves, all with rainy bits dressing their surfaces.

It was a great way to begin the long weekend!

About Bo Mackison

I'm a photographer, book-artist, traveler, naturalist, and creator of the Contemplative Creatives Journey, An Online Workshop and Community and Desert Wisdom Cards and Workshops. Though often not well known, I find the desert a welcoming place - a healing space. Its mysteries and gifts transformed me several years ago. Since that first encounter, I return again and again to fill my well in what most people think of as a desolate region. I'd love to share my desert discoveries and wisdom with you. Please subscribe to receive my five part mini email course The Gifts of the Desert. It's my gift to you.

Comments

  1. Love the warm soft colors..and especially how the leaves are ‘wearing’ the raindrops. Enjoy the weekend!!!

  2. Very pretty with the rain and very well composed! I hope your weekend is going well!

  3. Sometimes we focus so much on the flowers that we (I) forget the beautiful foliage. Nicely composed and captured. Really like the raindrops.

  4. Really like the colors and raindrops. Very nice capture.

  5. The rain and the leaf, a magnificent meeting for our eyes!

  6. the tones of reddish pinks are lovely…the rain drops make it that much more interesting to view…

  7. This is a beautiful capture, Bo.

    Please send some rain my way. We really need it.

  8. Wonderful textures and color in the foliage Bo, and the water droplets add a great touch, well done !!

  9. suehenryphotography says

    Coral Bells do have such interesting foliage and you have captured the foliage in all of it’s beauty! The rain drops add additional interest. Nicely captured.

  10. The texture for the eyes is wonderful in this photo.

  11. I planted several of these this year, but mine are now a sort of yellow-red color. I wonder if they need nutrients.

    Loved reading about the foibles of a perennial garden. I’m going through the same thing.

  12. p.s., why do some people make perennials seem so easy?

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