Prolonged rains this week in the Patch, and do we need them!

My “everything but the kitchen sink” rainwater collection “system” is fully replenished once again…

…and the stock tank sea has been boiling up a “Perfect Storm”.

[warning Billy over the radio] Billy? Get outta there! Come about! Let it- let it carry you out of there! What the hell are you doing? Billy! You’re steaming into a bomb! Turn around for Christ sake! Billy, can ya hear me? You’re headed right for the middle of the monster! Billy?…

RIP Billy.

Remember this? : https://www.eastsidepatch.com/2010/07/%E2%80%9Cgarden-coffins%E2%80%9D/

As you can see we went out to our halfling-friendly restaurant the other day and, well, I just had to take another shot of the sarcophagus planter, it is a tradition at this point after all.  As I walked up the strip-mall pathway toward this morbid scene I thought to myself:

“what if I rounded the corner and was suddenly confronted by an inviting and lavish planting scheme (complete with jungle lighting and piped-in tree-frog croaks”)? Imagine what a great post and ending to this sad saga this wou…as my mind contemplated these odd thoughts my body rounded the now familiar corner…

…nope, there it still was, in all it’s “Bela Lugosi” glory, long dark shadows crept up the surrounding walls as I walked toward it.  I couldn’t help but subtly lean over the concrete edge to see what I could see. I did notice that there had been some significant “shuffling” of plants since my last visitation, the shards of broken terracotta pots had actually been REMOVED! Eeek Eeek Eeek!

Once inside the front doors of the establishment all darkness and morbidity immediately lifted, the spell shattered.  After the customary family seating kerfuffle there followed some obligatory dough capers which were coincidentally in-keeping with this posts watery theme. She was Squidward apparently, and he was a pirate, obviously. I ordered the crab cakes, naturally.

Moving drizzling on:

These wet Crepe Myrtle trunks look like they have been varnished,

as does the leaves on this loquat, that is starting to set fruit.

This patch of

Hedera colchica

‘My Heart’

or Persian ivy is threatening to consume one of my decomposed granite pathways, a good looking plant in the winter rains. I am not sure what is going on with that draping agave americana? Or is it a large crustacean?

Another great “all year rounder” is rosemary, this one blooms more than any other in the ESPatch, if only I had kept this ones name tag all those years ago!

This

Bauhinia corymbosa

or Phanera as it is commonly known, is one of my favorite evergreen vines.  It has attractive and unusual foliage with small orchid-like flowers and unique 2 lobed leaves that give a clue to the plants placement within the pea family.

This plant is cold and drought resistant, though a good soak in the middle of summer does make it look more luxuriant. This visually fine textured vine makes a great trellis subject but looks even better when allowed to grow up, through, and on other coarser foliaged shrubs and trees. I allow this one to grow up a loquat on one side and a larger conifer on the other. Unlike other vines Phanera does not look ungainly even when it gets large. Another one of these will be going in the ground come spring.

Dwarf miscanthus also looks great at this time of year, it’s brown hair streaked with purple, and who can beat…

…the explosive qualities of a sotol to warm you up on a cold and wet winter day?  I keep this one pruned up so that it is easier to maintain and to stop it draping over the adjacent plants.  The aloes on the left have already flushed with frost damage.

All this water talk made me want to re-run the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” series once again, just in case anybody missed it the first time around…no?

Stay Tuned  for:

“Walking On Thin Ice”

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