Yesterday morning I glanced out of the kitchen window as I was making coffee to see a bright red cardinal watching me from the crape myrtle tree. He is probably the cardinal who serenades me at dawn and follows me around the yard while I water. He must have been curious, wondering why I didn’t show up for our morning meeting.
On Wednesday morning I was outside before first light, waiting on the patio until it grew bright enough to water the patio plants. The entire garden was so very dry. It took a little more than three hours to water and to do a bit of trimming before I headed inside to make breakfast. It has been hot and dry all week. We broke heat records on several days, and too many plants finished the week with scorched leaves despite my best efforts.
The Caladiums I ordered a few weeks ago are up and opening their first leaves. This first photo, taken in the newest section of the fern garden, shows one of the several maidenhair ferns I purchased in early June. All are moved up to larger containers now to grow on through the summer. Additional photos show some of our other Caladiums in leaf. 
But rain finally came late Wednesday night. Thunder and pouring rain woke us in the night, reassuring us that the high pressure dome had finally broken. We were blessed with several rounds of much needed rain.
The world was soft, wet and grey on Thursday morning. Showers lingered, and I had a morning off from watering because we had enough rain to soak into the parched soil and revive the wilting garden. And so the cardinal sat singing in the wet crape myrtle tree, gazing in through the kitchen window, and finally flying off to visit the pots and baskets on our back deck. A small box turtle explored the front patio, nibbling grass and looking for breakfast. On Tuesday I had found him hiding under a shrub in the fern garden and gave him a bit of a shower. He seemed to like it, and the rain must have encouraged him to be a bit bold and come closer to the house.
Our garden isn’t filled with colorful flowers this week, but there is potential. I found herbaceous Hibiscus filled with tight buds. Several late summer perennials are growing larger and stronger now and I’ve managed to keep the new Salvias alive for another week. The first flowers opened on the fennel, and the Caladiums are up and opening their leaves.
It is amazing how a good rain shower and cooler temperatures can lift our spirits. I walked the garden this morning, enjoying another cool, damp morning. Even the mosses were bright green and happy looking. No hauling hoses again today. There was time for photos, instead. I needed photos to illustrate a new article about gardening in July and August, and for another article I wrote this week about how to create a fairy garden.
Summer has transformed our garden into a green haven, a mostly shady sanctuary alive with activity. A beautiful Tiger Swallowtail butterfly visited the tree Hibiscus flowers I can see from our kitchen window early this morning. Songbirds chirped and sang from hidden perches in the shrubs. More rain is on the way, and I hope that July will be kinder to us here than June has been. After all, its summer, and time to enjoy ourselves, isn’t it?
With appreciation to Jim Stephens of Garden Ruminations, who
hosts Six on Saturday each week.
Our Forest Garden 
I can’t wait to see these hibiscus flowers! It’s one of my favorite hibiscus with H. sabdarifa ( roselle) which makes excellent drinks
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There will be pictures 😉 We have several patches of Hibiscus and a few different varieties. Last year they were lovely.
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Glad you got some much-needed rain. I’m sure both you and the plants are happier. Beautiful caladiums!
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Rain must be nice. Because I am native to this region, I expect no rain until autumn. However, I do enjoy those oddly brief thundershowers that come through right about August 15 every two or three years. (Seriously, within a few days of August 15.) Caladiums seem like they should be more popular here. Some believe that they dislike warmth. Actually, they dislike aridity. It does not get very warm here.
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