RAIN, Poppies with aloes

Blissful rain along the CA. coast today, falling gently, sprouting the grass covering the hillsides ravaged by fire--- Station,Jesusita,Tea---caressing the hills rather than burying terrified homeowners in tons of mud.

Rain has brought up Buttercrunch lettuce, and a swath of poppies---Laura's Purple, and Flemish Antique.(www.TMSeeds.com) This year,I waited for the rain before sowing the seeds. However Breadbox and Peony Flowered, (from seed I brought back from a friend's garden in Oregon), are still holding out.

Many Poppies are very opinionated about when they'll grow in So Cal. They want it cold and wet, then warm,to sprout, then cold and wet again. This year I'm cheating with some and growing them in plantable pots, which go in the ground, pot and all, later.

California poppies are less exigent--reds,oranges and whites all do just fine if planted after the first rain. They look approriate  under aloes, especially aloe elegans, and accept the same lack of water, once sprouted.