This morning at Walnut Creek

Survivor stories

So, there are certain plants in the landscape I was sure hadn't made it through those stretches of below freezing weather this winter. The Pride of Barbados that went in last summer looked like a goner, and one gardener suggested I just replant because I wouldn't know if it was alive till May. Well, last week I saw this:

And then I noticed some new growth at the base of the firebush, another one I thought was beyond hope.

The comeback of the sweet potato vine also surprised me.

And as I got ready to pull out a dead geranium (this is what it looked like in Feb) to put in a new one, I noticed this:

What can I say, I love a plant with survival skills.

Behold my bejeweled yard

Finally: a rainy morning! I could be wrong, but this feels like the driest spring we've had in a while. Of course, officially spring is just a week old, but we've already had several days in the 80's with full sun. And I'm just happy to have a light rain this morning and coolish temps. If we get a thunderstorm this afternoon, even better.







Above: artemesia, mountain laurel, kale, Texas sage, standing cypress, honeysuckle (first of the season), and Tropicana canna.

Below: not quite as jewel-like, but definitely benefiting from the rain, a newly potted bougainvillea, bed on the north side of the house with everspreading inland sea oats, sea oat seedlings in the patio and spent blooms from the neighbor's honey locust tree, one of the freesia blooms has fallen into the gregg's blue mist, more freesia (the scent of the damp blossoms is pretty amazing), and a soon-to-bloom butterfly weed.

Garden scenes from the weekend

Blank spots in the front bed got planted with lambs ear, wooly thyme, gaura, and hummingbird sage seed.


Love the color on the Sunlover's Coleus and the dianthus has sent up its first bud.

The primroses are filling in and hopefully the larkspur will bloom soon.

Wildflowers on this weekend's hikes:

First evening primroses of the year

I thought it might be a couple more days before they opened, but this morning I saw about a dozen pink blooms in the front bed. Pretty soon: hundreds! In the second photo, they're mixed in with larkspur and copper canyon foliage. Below: the zucchini started blooming yesterday.

Today's harvest

It's broccoli day everyday right now. And the cilantro from seed just started to take off this past week; now it wants to bloom. These sunny 80+ degree days are taking us right into the next season a little faster than I'd like. Ah, well, just roll with it, right?

Now, what to prepare with these non-complementary ingredients...

My iris finally bloomed!

In fall of 2009 I picked up some iris bulbs from Boggy Creek Farms along with my vegetables. I wasn't sure where to put them in the landscape, so I just threw them in the backyard 'test garden' bed. This morning, for the very first time, one of them bloomed. I knew it was going to be apricot in color, but it's so much more beautiful and exotic than I expected. What a nice surprise.

And here's the iris abstracted:

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: March 2011

In the backyard, my neighbor's pear tree ("shared" blooms) against the backdrop of my cottonwood; last of the redbud flowers; arugula; geranium; and spring groundcover looking cheery while I put off mowing.





Mountain laurels, freesia, and autumn sage in the front yard.



In the house, a decaying flower arrangement catches the morning light; christmas cactus trying to go for another round; and cut freesia bloom in an "elegant" apple juice vase.

For more on what's blooming around the world today, check out Garden Blogger's Bloom Day hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.