The next time you are annoyed that your shoes get soaked during an early morning stroll across the yard, take a closer look at what is happening underfoot… Because, in the right light, the morning dew is magical! 

Dew is moisture formed via condensation- water moving from a vapor (gaseous form) to a liquid- due to a drop in the nighttime temperature. This moisture was once held in the surrounding air as water vapor (think humidity), but as the overnight temperatures drop the air's water-vapor-holding capacity diminishes.  When the temperature reaches the dew point (or dew point temperature), the water vapor condenses into liquid droplets and is deposited on grass or other structures.  This process is dependent on many factors, including location and ambient conditions. Grass or other surfaces close to the ground receive a large portion of dew, in part, because of the ground's ability to retain both moisture and daytime heat and the relatively large surface of grasses. 

The shape the dew takes is dependent on the amount of condensation and the surface properties of where the condensation is deposited, like surface geometry and smoothness.  Smaller dewdrops tend to stay spherical (due to surface tension), but as more dew accumulates the condensation surface properties dictate the patterns and shapes. So, thin pointy blades of grass offer a host of sites for a hidden world of spherical Suessical whimsy.  Yay, another reason not to mow- in case you are looking for an excuse.

Dew(drops) on grasses may replace raindrops on roses as one of the favorite things after seeing these close-up images.  All photos were taken using a hand-held cell phone (iPhone8 with no attachments or filters).  

When I buy a rose, I consider several things: color, growth habit, location requirements.  These are all important aspects to ponder to ensure a thriving plant and a visually appealing garden. But something else I consider, which has nothing to do with gardening success, is the name. I love rose names. They can be serious (‘Hope for Humanity') or silly (‘Yabba Dabba Doo'). They can evoke grand emotions (‘Falling in Love') or the desire for a cocktail (‘Tequila Supreme'). They can memorialize a famous person (‘Frida Kahlo') or a famous place (‘Disneyland'). The depth and breadth of rose names make giving a rose as a gift uniquely suitable. For a friend's 60^th birthday, I gave her ‘Golden Celebration.'  When my girlfriend gave birth to twins, her sister gave her ‘Double Delight.' Before I moved to Northern California, my sister's going away gift to me was ‘Burst of Joy.' In the same way, a rose can be a perfect way to memorialize an event. When Queen Elizabeth II died, my husband reported the news to me and then went directly to his computer and ordered ‘Queen Elizabeth.' I never fail to think of these memories when tending to my roses; it makes gardening chores more like meditation.

Frida Kahlo photos by Joy Humphrey

Double Delight

Not every rose in my garden has a meaningful name to me. I bought ‘Sunbelt South Africa' because it was a patio rose, I liked the apricot color, and that's what the garden center had available. It was a similar situation with ‘Westerland' and ‘Eleganza Sunny Sky.' All lovely roses, but the names don't resonate with me, which is probably why I continually forget what they are called. However, there are two roses on my wish list whose names I know I would never forget were I to add them to my garden. One is ‘Ketchup & Mustard,' a stunning red and yellow bloomer with a name I find hilarious in its unpretentiousness. The second is ‘Bloom of Ruth,' a rose I saw at the Chelsea Flower Show in London years ago and have coveted ever since, but I've not been able to find it in the United States. Ruth was my mother's name, and I would love to be able to remember her as I tended to her rose.

As a child rambling in the garden, I was delighted to find a lady bug. I would extend my hand in the bug's path and gently scoop it up. I would watch it traverse my fingers and palm and turn my hand as I carefully examined the bug with thoughts of

Lady bug, lady bug fly away home,

Your house is on fire

And your children are all alone.

Suddenly, wings would appear from under the red, black polka dotted shell and the lady bug took flight. As an adult, I silently rejoice when I find lady bugs wandering my plants and I silently whisper “stay.”