The first glimpses of Spring from my patio, deck, front and back hillside gardens in Larkspur, California.
A wispy cherry blossom in full bloom among the wild Marguerites, ivy and hedges.
Spring, the elusive season, has returned on tippie toes as winter is still exhaling it's last chilling frost.
Today, unusually sunny, clear with gentle breezes, offers the fresh scent of spring flowers, abuzz with anxious bumble bees making ready for the queen's nest.
Working my lense in and around their furious business, seeking the optimal angles and colors for these shots, I clicked away, hoping for the best of early Spring to share.
A crowded bird bath, now home to flowers of all varieties.
The ivy is determined to make a statement, regardless of the season or need for new flowers to take root and thrive.
My favorite garden angle, where shade protects my thirsty foliage and retains water for other garden occupants.
A closer peek into the underbelly of the eclectic jungle.
Lots of cement, therefore lots of potted flowers.
Pots and pots all around the patio
This yellow Marguerite is seriously out of control! It started out as an 8" pot when I planted it there 16 years ago!
Another shot of the cherry blossom tree sandwiched between the ivy and a mutunt hedge!
Coming down the stairs to the patio is this fiery deep pink tree, now shaped like a flat top as it was taking over the garden! Gotta love nature!
A refreshed garden bowl to adorn our outdoor dining table where frequent fresh air meals are savored.
Bygone architecture from the 70's still remains dear to my heart, with memories and style that endures.
A modest entrance patiently awaits the growth of new buds and color to invite you in.
These little purple beauties grow like ground cover throughout my back yard.
And these beautiful, fragrant lilies, grow wild in clusters like this throughout the backyard as well. The moisture in the air here provides the ideal climate for so many schrubs and flowers to thrive. For me, too.
Opposite the patio on the back upper deck are signs that the warm afternoon sun has begun to bring out bright, attention-getting colors.
This young lady is happiest now, growing into her full array of pinks, roses and reds. She is my little show off.
My lone cactus, sitting in a hallway window, looks outside for signs of change to come. He has no season or new colors to share. He lives on year after year, steady and straight, constant and enduring.
After months of cold, damp bay area weather, these promising signs of Spring warm my heart and my senses. The sweet smell in the air intoxicates the soul, offering a promise of hot summer nights to come.
A true romantic, I love all things that grow and blossom by the light of day. It is such a tonic to work with the earth, to nurture that which is a gift, rejuvenating our surroundings and nourishing our hearts.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Note: This post was in response to a recent open call by OneCorgiLover, who invited us to do a post on our gardens to help welcome in the season.
onecorgilover's: "Spring is in the air" (posted 4-15)
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Comments
GET DIRTY!!!
Go plant some flowers this weekend!
Then post your results!
Oh crap! I was afraid you'd respond like that! But was also hoping it might prompt a trip out to sunny California to see your big sissy?!?
Lay in the sun, drinking lemonade?
Walk around downtown Larkspur?
Your old alma matter?
Anything workin' for ya?
I didn't know there was a place called Larkspur, love the plant and the pretty flowers. Here they grow boob high when early summer blushes with profusion and and gaudy fertility. It was such a pleasure the first time I saw Larkspur blooming here, I had tried to grow it in the sweltering south and was always disappointed.
Tulips are just now poised to open just as the brilliant daffodils are beginning to fade. It is a flower fashion show.
I am planning a day trip to Buchart Gardens in Victoria. Can't wait. You have done well and I don't need to guess the color of your thumb.
You are a good month ahead of us here in NE Ohio. The crocus are now over here; daffodils are full bloom and early tulips and a few other bulb plants. We are seeing some signs of life in the iris, the beardless coming up first and rapidly, but they are a month away from flowering.
Our rhubarb is growing so fast you can almost watch it grow. The asparagus will start to shoot up in the next week or so and we will gorge ourselves with it for two months and then let it grow to support next years crop.
But we are just now getting some tiny leaves on the shrubs and the trees are dumping pollen like crazy but no leaves yet.
The huge tulip tree down the street on the corner is beautiful this year. Usually the frost kills the flowers as they open. This year the frost has held off and so that lovely old tree is in all its glory. That may not happen again for a decade but that stubborn tree never gives up. This is its year!
Monte
Pretty flowers though. But, the last few days a little White, Blue, Grey and black bird about 3-4 inches long has been going berserk at my Forest view window peeking in at me and tweeting sometimes for up to an hour, weird. My sister died died last week so it made me wonder...
Ablonde - Thanks much! I do not know the Latin names for any of my plants as they were planted over some 16 plus years ago when I first moved here and some shrubs were already here.
It goes without saying, we will dearly want lots of pictures from your trip to Buchart Gardens in Victoria!! I was there once years ago and it was jaw dropping gorgeous. Surreal display of floral fantasy! You will love it!
Monte - I now that it's still winter weather in part of the country right now and for that I am very sorry. My beloved Tahoe is still that way, intermittent snow showers and temps down in the high 20's at night. No planting there till late June. Virtually no Spring in Tahoe and a very short summer with signs of fall very apparent with the dropping of pine needles in late August! I have to boast of my Spring conditions while I can! It is such a brief glimpse of heaven!
Zumilicous - I also have herbs, mint, basil and strawberries planted in the garden and in some of the larger pots right along with the pansies, etc...they all cohabitate well together.
Professor - Be not a traitor to your California favorite! do not secumb to the negative preachings of a willful and doleful sister, who will soon be swimming in gardens, flowers, fountains, massive beds of flowers and herbs of all imaginations! She has the most spectacular property east of California. She will boast of this bounty before too long, mark my words!
And as for that sweet little bird that is frequenting your window...he seeks water and seed...his mama is gone. He has adopted you, Pete, and needs your paternal assistance, just for a little while. It would be a lovely gesture for your sister. She would like it. Am so sorry to hear of her passing. My heartfelt sympathy to you and your family.
Oh, Sirenita.....since Cathy said that these are drought tolerant, you now know what you need to plant in your own garden. Go for it, girl!
beautiful pics, btw.
PS Remind me to tell you about my idea for a "sisters' garden"!
My idea for a sisters' garden: I have four sisters (and three sisters-in-law) and I would love to make a garden that had flowers that used their names. For example, I have a sister named Rozanne, which is very unusual, especially the spelling, and I discovered a new hardy geranium--one of my favorite flowers of all time b/c they're so easy and long-blooming--whose variety name is 'Rozanne.' Isn't that cool? I just found a 'creeping jenny' today, so that takes care of another sister. Now I need Marie (or Mimi, as we call her) and Julie (or Julia, which is her real name) to finish up the sisters, and those don't seem so hard to do. Won't this be fun?
For your "Mimi" you could use "Mums." Crysthansemums??? I know I butchered the spelling!
And you asked about my pink/lavendar/red flowers at the end? So sorry to say, I cannot remember the name of that plant. It's just one flowering plant on the deck, lots of sun and brilliant color.
I'm a very sloppy gardener but I enjoy it. Here in PA we're seeing flowering magnolias and cherries, daffodils and tulips. I put in a lilac last year and I'm crossing my fingers about how it fared over the winter.