Today, the last day of August, signifies the end of summer for me. It was a summer I wondered if I could survive! Record breaking heat, high humidity, and extreme drought took it's toll, not only on nature, but also on individuals.
The rain began to fall yesterday shortly after noon and it's still falling this morning. Isaac has reached Arkansas and brought much needed rain. My rain gauge, which holds 5.5", is running over. It's so wonderful to look out and see the falling rain! We did get some winds, but nothing significant and we kept our power!! Yeah!! Many in our area are without power this morning.
One of the sure signs that it's fall is when my Chinese Fringeflower bushes begin to bloom. They bloom in the spring and again in the fall. I tried my best to keep them watered this summer, they were gifts from my daughter and her family. All the hard work was worth it when I saw their beautiful blossoms. I went out yesterday before the rains began and took a few photos.
I love the way this one turned out...the dark silhouette with little touches of pink blossoms against the stormy clouds.
Each tiny petal unfurls from the center of the blossom creating little pom-poms at the ends of branches which are fuzzy and sparkly. As the weather cools, the foliage will turn a rich burgundy.
These bushes are my favorites. Beautiful year round, easy to grow, and they tell me that fall is on the way!!
Lovely way to bring in fall, Cathy! I've never seen one of these bushes -- such interesting petals. The silhouette shot is great!
ReplyDeleteI just love those Chinese Fringeflowers. How beautiful that they bloom twice as year!
ReplyDeleteWe are getting rain and much cooler weather here too now... it's certainly more restful and I refuse to complain!
Have a lovely weekend.
Wow this is such a pretty bush and very unusual. I've never seen one before.
ReplyDeleteNo rain here yet.
Love watching these pom-poms explode. I'm glad your bushes survived the drought and will now herald the beginning of fall in all its colorful glory.
ReplyDeletei was thinking about you and wondering if you got much rain courtesy of isaac. we got some nice rains here, but not nearly as much as you did. i too am looking forward to fall. what a lovely herald you have with your chinese fringeflower. :)
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