This summer, West Coast meteorologists were giddy expounding about heat domes, but there hasn’t been much for them to get worked about up since. That has changed this week in a massive way. A bomb cyclone is bearing down on the West Coast, arriving in our area as an atmospheric river with heavy rain.
Ordinarily, the first real storm of the season is a welcome event, but this one has been wreaking all kinds of havoc already in the Pacific Northwest and far Northern California. My mother-in-law lives in Mount Shasta, an hour south of the Oregon border, and she’s had so much heavy snow already that a tree fell over in her front yard and the roof of her carport collapsed right onto her car.
Here, the storm has been fairly gentle so far. The Sacramento Valley has received less than 2" of rain through Friday morning, but today is supposed to be particularly windy and wet. Maybe things will be different tomorrow, but this is what it looks like this morning.
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| Through the car window |
The leaves from our neighbor’s massive sycamore (London plane) tree are continuing to drop. If the wind picks up, the sidewalk and the street will be covered. And a whole lot of them will end up on our side.
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| Neighbor’s massive sycamore (London plane) tree |
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| Gutter backing up |
The rain we’ve received thus far has been gentle enough to make our thirsty plants perk up. Time to get out the camera!
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| View from the front door |
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| Echeveria agavoides |
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| Ferocactus emoryi, the color of its spines popping in the rain |
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| Calliandra ‘Sierra Starr’ |
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| ×Mangave ‘Night Owl’ |
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| ×Mangave ‘Foxy Lady’ |
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| ×Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’ |
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| Agave shawii |
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| Agave shawii × parrasana |
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| Agave mitis ‘Chocolate Edge’ |
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| Agave desmetiana ‘Joe Hoak’ |
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| Agave titanota ‘Lion’s Mane’ |
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| Yucca linearifolia |
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| Yucca linearifolia |
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| Yucca linearifolia |
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| Parodia magnifica |
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| Echeveria agavoides ‘Christmas’ |
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| Drimia maritima |
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| Dyckia ‘Naked Lady’ |
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| Aloe vaotsanda |
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| Aloe ‘Hellskloof Bells’ |
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| Aloe (ortholopha × spectabilis) × marlothii ‘Utrecht’ |
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| Aloe (ortholopha × spectabilis) × marlothii ‘Utrecht’ |
It’ll be a while yet before the bulk of our aloes will be in bloom, but aloe season has officially started. I’ll never get tired of seeing the very tip of an inflorescence emerge.
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| Aloe ‘Moonglow’ |
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| Aloe lukeana |
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| Aloe suprafoliata, the aloe closest to flowering |
Bulbs are popping up, too:
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| Veltheimia capensis |
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×Amarygia hybrid (Amaryllis belladonna × Brunsvigia josephinae)
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And the first California poppy seedlings have come up.
I sowed about 2,000 seeds, ‘White Linen’ like last winter. With any luck, I’ll get 200 flowering plants. |
| White-flowering California poppy (Eschscholzia californica ‘White Linen’) |
As I’m writing this on Friday morning (November 22, 2024), the rain is getting heavier. Stay safe out there!
© Gerhard Bock, 2024. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
Ah, wonderful rain finally- although I am sorry about your MIL's troubles.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are stunning, I have to take a second look. I love seeing the ferocactus getting hit with water, the color change is instant. Agave mitis 'chocolate edge' wow the coloring on it is so alluring. Our rain started this morning about 10 a.m., I was worried it wouldn't pan out. 100% agree on the aloes, so exciting :)
I'm sorry your MIL didn't fare as well as you did in the precipitation department. Two inches of rain is a major boon in my estimation and your succulents have their shine on. It's now looking as though we'll get next to nothing :(
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