Helpful Hanna

Hanna hit us with lots of rain yesterday and last night, but not too much. I know some places in New Hampshire got 6", but I'm thinking we got about 2-3". Though I haven't heard the official story yet and I lack a rain gauge. Our area didn't get any flooding but enough for the ground to be soaked again. Perfect.

For years I thought of Boston's September weather as always wet. We used to get the tropical storms, hurricanes (never more than a category 2 since we are farther north and very rarely) or their dregs, but I think this is the first one we have had in a few years. Last fall we had an bad drought. My plants were struggling. That weather pattern and dry falls makes for pretty days, but our plants are more used to the rain. I'm glad the old pattern has returned.

In addition to rain the storm brought wind. The garden seemed to survive it, but my huge cosmos snapped off. It has never flowered. It was just growing bigger and bigger. Before its demise it topped 7'. Outrageously huge for a 3' cosmos. I think I gave it too much compost. Two of the six cosmos never flowered. I took the other one down too since it still shows no signs of starting. I was using the cosmos as cut flowers all summer long, but it is getting towards the fall, so I've decided to let them flower and collect the seed.

When I ripped up the two cosmos plants, I noticed their branches, that had fallen onto the ground a while ago, had rooted. In fact the whole stem was trying to root all the way up. I've see tomato and squash plants do that before, but I never knew cosmos did it too.