All night the sound had
come back again,
and again falls
this quiet, persistent rain. . . .
— Robert Creeley, from “The Rain“
Our garden on August 31, at the end of the dry season:
And on September 11, after several days of rain:
Much better. After the first rain or two, everything seemed almost sparkly.
Below (click on any of the thumbnails in the gallery) is a little tour of the borders along the upper and lower lawns, taken on September 11 — just before sunset — and yesterday afternoon.
Looking southwest from the upper lawn.
Kniphofia uvaria and a Kalanchoe. . .
with an orange Lantana camera in the background.
A pot of Graptopetalum with yellow daylilies behind it.
An orange blooming tropical hibicus in the foreground.
The upper lawn beyond the steps. A large Euphorbia in the background.
Walking to the tall pot in the last photo and turning: Cape plumbago, yellow Abutilon, variegated groundcover irises, and a double Rudbeckia laciniata in the foreground.
Turning back to the steps, Cape plumbago and shasta daisies.
Looking down to the next level of retaining wall, a large white rose in the back and (I think) a (purple) Thunbergia in the center.
Walking down the steps, looking south. There are also cream Russelia equisetiformis and a blue blooming Salvia (I think it’s a Salvia).
At the bottom of the steps, looking back at the south retaining walls.
Looking South on the other side of the lower lawn.
Those are pink Pentas in the foreground.
Going back to the top of the steps and looking northwest about sunset.
Looking down on the next level of retaining wall: blue blooming Salvias, Eranthemum nervosum, and a variegated ginger.
Walking down the steps, looking north.
At the bottom of the steps, looking back to the north retaining walls. There are red Russelia equisetiformis above and yellow daylilies and Rudbeckia below.
Walking across the lawn and looking north.
I think this will be my slightly early Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up submission for September. Please go to May Dreams Gardens (Bloom Day on September 15) and Digging (Foliage Follow-Up on September 16) to see what’s happening in other Garden Bloggers’ gardens.
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enclos*ure 
Looks wonderful. Exciting to the recovery in response to the rain. It’s become very dry here and our lawn turned brown almost overnight.
Our grass started to green up a little within 12 hours of rain. It’s a mix of various lawn grasses (and a little crabgrass, I think) plus weeds. That kind is the toughest.
Haha…I know what you mean! It has been very dry here too and Thursday we had 1.25″ of rain in a deluge! But now everything is clean and crisp…maybe we’ll have a lovely Fall after all!
PS….hubby is working on the bathroom!;)
I read that the Washington area had had rain after 5 weeks (?) of dry weather. But that you had a relatively cool August, which must have been great.
We are finally getting some rain here so I am hoping my garden springs to life again, too. I love that layout of all the garden views like a big collage. If you haven’t visited Nan at Hayefield for GBBD, you must. Her garden is unbelievable. Hope to see you sometime this year.
Just looked at Hayefield — oh my goodness!
WordPress just gave my theme the option for the collage for a gallery, which is more interesting than the lined-up thumbnails.
I’m making plans for a Madison fall; I’ll be in touch soon!
I wish it would rain here….in September we begin a dry season…your garden is beautiful as always
Thank you. I wish I had some of your roses!