Spring is in the air for Bloom Day! A warm February weekend in Northern California meant the Hardenbergia vine was humming with honeybees...
~click pictures to enlarge~
The front porch Lantana is rallying, better cut it back soon or I'll be so, so sorry!
The lovely Loropetalum just keeps it coming; I love the way the green and purple leaves compliment the fringy flowers.
Oxalis is a major winter weed in California; it's everywhere. I have a few patches in my garden, and enjoy their seasonal contribution of fresh green-and-yellowness, for little awhile anyway. Its leaves make a juicy contribution to the compost bin later on!
I figure if I take the shot reeeaaally close, you won't notice that I'm posting yet ANOTHER Cerinthe picture. You like her, admit it...
Gaaah! The Daffodils are simply screaming out in the park strip! For me the sight of them is the official "all clear" for spring...
This little wild geranium is a common weed around here, and I let it grow for a while too (ladybugs seem to like it particularly.)
This cracks me up. My up-close vision is very poor; I had no idea that these beautiful Bronze Fennel fronds were generously sprinkled with aphids until I cropped the photo! What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't feel, as my grandmother used to say.
Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' is living up to its name. When backlit like this it fairly glows.
My friend Ivette recently described Grevillea blossoms as a cross between a shrimp and a toothbrush (or something like that) so of course, that is forevermore what I'll see!
Another Hardenbergia shot; I so love this vine. It grows on the fence opposite my bedroom window, and is right up there with Daffodils and Oxalis in the 'Spring is Coming' department.
This Begonia bud looks like Little Shop of Horrors meets Transformers...
OK, not technically a flower, but what a work of art is a succulent...
Pink flamingo tutus, that's what Fuchsia thymifolia flowers remind me of. The kind that really bounce up and down.
Now there's a sight, this year's blueberries, getting ready to bloom.
The whole time I was taking these pictures, our neighborhood mockingbird was singing up a storm, yet another spring sound. This is his mate, keeping watch over our garden. Maybe they'll nest in one of the trees this year...
...but somebody else already has dibs on the Bamboo! Unfortunately this nest is about head high, right next to the path from the patio to the Red Umbrella. I foresee much anxious hovering in my future!
Thanks, as always, to Carol from
May Dreams Gardens for being the heart of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Visit her site for links to Bloom Day posts from all over the world.
"We can have flowers nearly every month of the year."
Elizabeth Lawrence
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Like this plum tree in front of my sweetheart's house: probably as perfect today as it will ever be, just that right balance of blossom, bud, leaf and bee. And it will decorate your car for free!
Next in line is Crabapple 'Prairie Fire' who will be a bit of a teenager this year; can't wait to see how she's settled in with me.
The official First Poppy of the Year. She was taking her sweet time opening up, so I gave her some privacy and concentrated on the others for a bit...
...like the purple-leafed sport on my Euphorbia 'Helena's Blush' (which I should probably remove) that is starting to bloom. I have to admit, this is one variety I prefer for the leaf, not the bloom, which isn't very graceful. Nice at this stage, though.
The Woolly Thyme is perking up; shot this close you can see how it gets its name...
Back to Miss Poppy, and there she is, still wet from the rain. There is no orange more gold than this. In case you don't know, she's Escholtzia californica, California Poppy, our state flower.
HummerWatch 2010 continues, not sure if we have hatchlings yet. Poor thing was quite thoroughly tossed around during our recent windy storms.
One last shot of spring for you. If perfect pink blooms against a bright blue sky don't cheer you up, hang in there; your own will be here soon!
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