Rain, Rain, Come Again to Stay

Neither my irrigation system or sprinklers can match the renewing effects of a good rain.  As I'm writing this, the rain is drizzling down in sheets.  It's been almost two months since we've gotten anything like this wonderful cleansing rain.   There is no rushing torrent going down our yard or our street--just a good soaking that our garden badly needed. 

Just before we went to sleep last night, Bob and I sat on the porch and reveled in the sound of this welcome visitor.  It reminds me of our courting days when we would sit through hurricanes together and feel joy of just being together and facing the elements. 

Speaking of courting, our romantic-looking angel trumpets (Brugmansia) are blooming now.  They are deceptively beautiful and fragrant but all parts of the plant are reportedly poisonous.  Ours are about 8 feet tall but this perennial shrub can grow up to 20 feet.  Hummingbirds may be attracted to the white, peach, orange and yellow blooms but be careful that your dogs or children don't chew on the plants.  That's really important if you have teenagers because the plants are reportedly hallucinogenic.  Angel trumpets (some refer to them as angel trumpets of death) can grow from seeds or can be propagated from cuttings (rooting solution).  Our neighbor pulls hers inside the greenhouse for the winter so hers grow much bigger.  Mine are generally killed back by the winter but by October, they are almost 8 feet tall and blooming profusely.  They enjoy pruning, too and bloom nicely on the new growth.