I am always amazed at the difference between human applied watering and natural rainfall, on ones' plants. Watering keeps them alive but rain makes them thrive and grow. We are approaching drought conditions here in New Zealand at present with almost no rain at all since the end of October in most areas. I have been watering to the extent I'm allowed but watering restrictions are now in force so that's moot as well. However, things are surviving all right and in the last few days there has been some light but very precious rain to relieve things a bit. On Friday night we actually had soft and gentle but steady rain from some time in the night until late Saturday afternoon. All this is to say that while there has been nothing germinating, suddenly, after some real rain, a number of things are coming through even though it is the middle of summer. Iris brandzae (I. spuria ssp. brandzae) from a Czech source and sown in February, has come in a rush, all 10 seeds up today. Helonias bullata is also through today but not the potful on a peaty seed mix, only the lot I sowed on grit. One of Anne Wright's hepaticas is through and so too is Clematis hirsutissima from a kindly gentleman in Lincolnshire. That was sown in August. Oddly, my own much older seed and sown very fresh (Jan, a year ago all but a few days), the dwarf form of Clematis fusca is also up today, when I'd just about given up on it. Barnhaven auricula seed has started with a rush, many seedlings up overnight though I didn't hope for them until we had good autumn rain, and the white form of Rhodo. camtschaticum is also through, a fine green mist among the grit. I can't swear that all these are the result of natural rain but it's odd that after months of nothing new, suddenly so many things all at once after just a little of "the right stuff."
