Having written earlier today that a local lake is low and that rain is unlikely until July, I am happy to report that at this moment it is raining cats and dogs - anyone want a small poodle? It started with hail as I was putting out snapdragons and is now producing a steady stream of raindrops at a rate just shy of an inch an hour. Evidently a huge, damp, low pressure area is moving over the southwest. It's supposed to rain on and off for three days. I know the moisture will be welcome in my garden. I hope it reaches many more gardens that need it.

NICE!! When you get tired of it, ship it my way! We had a 30% chance of rain today.. nada. Then again on Saturday chance of rain & snow at night... I hope so 'cuz we definitely could use it!!

Just got back to my station from Prescott, it was raining good.

Watching a band of severe storms blowing in off the mountains & heading NE... hoping they don't dissipate before they get this far north. Should see them in about 15 minutes!! Yay!!! Rain, beautiful rain!!

Not much of a picture, a cellphone, showing the weather Steve was talking about.

sure wish I could send rain your way Toni seems like every time I have a day off it rains and when I'm at work its just beautiful out

*sigh* it rained about 2 minutes. I think I've seen more moisture from a flock of geese flying overhead. I know that Cindi's gonna be catching it more than likely.. and probably you too, Gloria. Seemed to be heading heavily to the NE right up I76. But nada at home.. nothing. guess I get to water again if it doesn't rain on Sunday.

I want/need rain so bad that I went and washed the car, then watered all the flower beds.
Twice in the last few weeks, we've had big rains in town that stopped .5 mile north of me. Friends of mine were whining about getting 3 inches of rain in one day, and I just wanted to smack them.

still giggling about your flock of geese, Toni.
Every drop of moisture counts...

Cindi - well, if you look at the radar that's hitting Colorado right now, there's wave after wave of storms flowing through right now. I'm hoping that you get some of it!!!

Got 1/10 of an inch last night. Wow!

Hopefully we'll get more this weekend, but I'm not looking forward to the hard freeze that is predicted for my area. Normally that's not a problem for this time of year, but it's been so warm for so long that all the fruit trees bloomed.

I even have a flower bud on a rose.

No idea on how much rain we got last night. Rained for about 20 minutes and soaked everything pretty good. Tabby - how do you have a bud already? I don't have any buds on ANYONE, not even Heinrich Karsch, who is usually my first bloomer, or Escapade, who's usually right behind. They're both 100% leafed out & raring to go, but no buds. I did cut some hyacinth stalks this morning... they're smelling up my office right now *swoon!!* But yea, they keep dropping the temperature for Sunday. Now it's down to 25degs. BLEH!

They've dropped it down to 23 for me.

Usually Harison's Yellow, Hugonis or maybe some miniature like Cinderella are my first blooms,.

The first bud I've seen is on the Green Rose, which is up by my house. It's not exactly exciting.

Very hard typing with pestery cat on lap.

Glad to hear that some of the rain is getting around. I'm hoping it provides more moisture for most of our gardens than they would get from a flock of geese!

I do hate late frosts: they can be so destructive. We'll be getting some of that, too. Here the low is supposed to be 28F, which shouldn't destroy too many roses, though almost every rose has started to set leaves. We've been having 73 degree days but no traces of rosebuds. Daffodils are finished. Tulips are in bloom. And iris are just starting to bloom.

Whew. Found a new parking lot temporary nursery this morning. It is an outlet of a reputable nursery out of town. OMG. Nice nice roses. I ended up buying duplicates of ones I already have just because theirs look so much better than mine. I'm going back in a bit, after doing some more internet research. They had all the new buddlieas. I was taking my time looking through their roses and perennials and i noticed the workers covering things and getting nervous, sure enough, big storm approaching. i stopped shopping when the lightning got too close. I got home right before the skies opened up. Left my bags of manure and cotton boll compost in the van--it will stink for weeks now, but at least I won't be dealing with soggy heavy bags!
I came home with Scentimental and Outta the Blue, each costing 19.99 but healthy and covered with blossoms and buds. going back for Coffee Bean, Palmengarten Frankfurt and maybe Drop Dead Red. They had some incredible Koko Lokos, but mine is doing ok so far. Any opinions on the three I'm considering? I had set out this morn to buy more drift roses. Those work beautifully here in containers.
While I'm grateful for the rain, I wish we could get it in smaller doses, and more gently. We tend to get hammered with 3" all at once, then none for another month and that's not what the plants need.

Outta the Blue gets leggy. At least mine does. Scentimental is very susceptible to thrips and hates heat so I'd give it dappled shade. Don't really like the Coffee Bean.. turns a funky burnt orange color and doesn't smell good. Drop Dead Red is a newer one (I think), smaller red but supposed to keep it's red and not blue out like Mr. Lincoln. Never heard of Palmengarten Frankfurt but here's the HMF for it: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose...

I really recommend getting a netbook/tablet/internet phone. I use my phone extensively when I'm on the hunt!

To help w/the manure & compost smell, I'd go to a good garden nursery & see if they have crushed charcoal (usually in the soil area.. it's used for African Violet soil). Get like a pound or two and put it in a paper bag. Leave the paperbag open in your car w/the windows down & park in the sun. Should remove the smell that day. If it still smells, roll up the windows & leave in there for another day in the sun. If you can't find charcoal, lemme know 'cuz the LGS here carry it. Kingsford Charcoal is NOT the same. Trust me.. it'll just make everything smell like lighter fluid. LOLL

Thanks for the suggestions. My Outta the Blue is leggy also! i killed Coffee Bean and was thinking of replacing it, but after reading a bit, decided it may be a bit finicky for this area. I love those weird smoky colors.
funny about the phone. I have an Android Bionic which is usually great on internet, but whenever there's a bad storm around, it gets buggy. I came on home not just because I didn't like standing out in the lightning, but because I have a spoiled labrador who freaks out in storms. I've got her shut up in an interior bathroom right now, poor baby.
I found the nursery's whole catalog online and looked up a few others--they actually have 3 or 4 that I've never grown, and I think what I'll go back for is Firefighter. It should be an improvement of Lasting Love, which is a stingy bloomer for me. I only have really old pure red roses so I "need" a newer HT red. I know that one's technically not "new" but maybe one of the better reds.
We have one of those expensive ionizer machines so I could use that. I'm cursed with the olfactory sense of a bloodhound...losing my sight and hearing, but oh boy still can smell everything. I think that's why I love roses. To me, almost all of them have a strong scent.

Toni, you should be getting lots more rain -- we were expecting 1/4" yesterday and got 1/2", plus they're predicting up to 1" of rain here (unheard of!) tomorrow, and the second storm is supposed to be a lot colder. We're in drought conditions here, so needless to say we're really excited about the rain!

Ooh, Firefighter is one of my favs. But it does blue out when it ages. Try Europeana - not a HT but is very very prolific in blooms (not stingy at all, once mine gets going, she goes & goes & goes & goes all until a killing frost).

Europeana is one I will always have. I am thinking "Always and Forever" as a possibility. Maybe it won't blue out?
It's storming so much I wonder if the place will be open when I get back up there? Streets are probably flooded by now. Satellite keeps going out but we haven't lost power yet.