Rain Songs and Hostas

I was thinking of rainy songs today.  (I took this picture of a child watching a duck in Vienna nine years ago.) A brief shower came along today at an inopportune time, so the topsoil could not be brought over for the berm, and the crew could not come to complete the drainage project in back.

"Rainy Day People," a song by Gordon Lightfoot from the seventies.  I learned it and many others and sang them one night a week at La Posada in Santa Fe in the summer of 1975.

"Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down," a song I don't know and don't want to know.

"Singin' in the Rain," a song made immortal by the movie scene in which Gene Kelly sings it.

"Buckets of Rain," a Bob Dylan song I'm trying to adapt for the absence of a string bass.  I work on it a little every day, trying to toughen up my finger tips and work out fingerings that will let the music come across with clarity, no fumbling.

With nothing to be done in the garden today, I took Lola over to the house-for-sale in University City and dug good pieces of my hosta collection.  The heavy rains of April have made everything lush, and the hostas have increased beautifully in the last several years, or many years.  I was able to take good pieces for myself and leave a substantial plant behind.  I didn't want to spoil the curb appeal.

"Krossa Regal," a vase-like hosta of distinctive and truly elegant blue-gray-green leaves that leaves me breathless.

"Elegans," an elephantine hosta of huge, round blue green leaves.  My friend David Watkins recommended this one to me in 1997.  I know where he grows a huge specimen of it in his garden in Ithaca, New York.

"Hadspen Blue," a superb blue hosta that forms a procession in the front garden at the U. City house.

That's Hadspen Blue on the curve of the bed.

"June," a milky yellow and green mixture that I fell in love with at David's house.  David sent me a plant of it, along with....

"Inniswood," which I also loved there.

"Gold Standard," which thrived at our house after not doing so well at our friend, Amy's, house just a mile or two away.

"Regal Splendor," which David sent me after I admired it at his place in 2008.

"Solar Flare," with the same story.

"Aureomarginata," a cream and green mix that was special to my friend, Oscie Whatley, and which he shared with me back in 1997.

"Halcyon," a wonderful smaller blue green one which thrives here.  That's Halcyon next to the concrete planter.

And one with a forgotten name, maybe "Golden Tiara," maybe not, but it's special, and I have a piece of it.

Every rainy day now I wonder if I will have any hybridizing season with the daylilies at all this year.  I am intent on moving my collection over here.  I don't want to bear the expense of daily trips over there to collect seed pods for a month or more.  This is a seedling I won't try to set pods on this season.  It's a cross of JOAN DERIFIELD X AUGUST WEDDING.

My plan has changed with the extension of rainy weather.  Now, as soon as the guys can make the berms and plant the trees out front, I'll plant the breeding daylilies that are potted and here.  I'll get some good things into the ground quickly.  Whatever is here and blooming will be my hybridizing world this season.  Once I get these in the ground, I'll start moving the U. City plants over here.