We Got Some Rain

This was good news, because most of my lawn looks like this:

I am a big believer in letting the grass go dormant if it's not getting any rain. I know it's hard to believe, but the grass will come right back next spring from this. Our soil is so sandy around the house (five to six feet of sand, straight down: it's basically stabilized Lake Michigan sand dune) that watering it is a losing proposition.

Not to mention if it's dormant, it isn't growing, and I don't have to mow it in 80 or 90 degree F. heat. I'll water flowers and trees, but the grass has to fend for itself.

The only green growing things in the lawn right now are weeds, like this hawkweed (Hieracium spp.).

You can see how small these flowers are in the shot of the dry lawn. Small flowers are often so beautiful if you take the time to look at them closely.

Look at the serrated tips on those yellow petals. What a color! (I love dandelions up close, too.)

The last of my lilies are coming into bloom.

This stunner, complete with raindrops on the petals, is White Henryi. It's one of many lilies I bought over 20 years ago with money I earned doing piecework at a baby clothes factory, and it's probably one of the nicest things I took away from that job. It took years before I could stand to look at baby clothes again, but I enjoy White Henryi every year when it blooms.

The very first tiger lily, Lilium lancifolium, formerly called Lilium tigrinum, is opening this morning. I grew these from stem bulbils, but I can't remember for sure where I got them. I'm always a bit nervous growing these, because they are supposed to be a symptomless Typhoid Mary of plant viruses. So I grow my other lilies at a distance and keep a sharp eye on them.

And last but not least, I started decreasing at the ankle of the legwarmers. It's a nice cool day, and I think I can get a few rows of ragg wool knitted today.