Wisteria and Roses

 I just can't get enough of my wisteria and roses.

 When they start blooming I actually get a little sad because I know they will only last a few weeks.

 Their beautiful scent, the buzzing of the bees, the sparkling of the sunshine peeking through the flowers will only be fleeting for the first few weeks of spring.

 They seem to be the first signs that winter is on the way out and the warm weather is on its way and soon all the other flowers will be appearing.

I really need to learn to spend more time just sitting under this pergola enjoying the beautiful arrival of spring and less time regretting how quickly it passes.

Signs of Spring

 The first day of spring is bursting with color from all kinds of natives, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, annuals, and groundcovers.

 There are still buds waiting to wake up on the birch tree and Boston ivy, but

lots of other plants are in full bloom.

 Clivia lilies are making quite a statement in orange and yellow with primrose tucked underneath.

 Contrasting foliage has been adding color all winter long and continues to create drama as the flowers emerge around them.

 Reblooming iris and heliotrope have been blooming on and off all winter but look even more lovely with snapdragons that are finally starting to bloom.

 Native blue ceanothus makes a beautiful background shrub along the path.

 Helichrysum 'limelight' is as bright and colorful as any spring bud.

 So many shades of green in one garden make an interesting scene even without any flowers.

A small native iris peeks out from a sea of pretty blue ajuga groundcover. Just the beginning of a lovely sring season.

A Little Relief

 Sorry about the long gap in my postings. I've been a bit distracted. 

I've been meaning to write about the rain we had last month. I had turned the sprinklers off for an entire month and was only using the hose on occasion when a few plants looked about to expire in an effort to conserve water since we had only had an inch of rain all year and it was getting pretty dire. Both of my gardens are fairly well established and fairly drought tolerant, so they can go for long periods without much water, but eventually they will need some rain. We had discussed giving up the front lawn if need be. We keep it mainly for the grandkids and dogs to play on, but it can always be replaced if needed. Great old trees and large privacy hedges not so much.

 The four days of rain the we had in February were very welcome and although not nearly enough, you could almost hear a sigh of relief from the gardens.

 The grounds soaked it in and hopefully not much ran off due to mulching and pavers that allow the water to seep through in the long driveway.

The cool damp weather soon gave way to warm, sunny days of beautiful spring weather, but we are still hopeful for more rain to help with the drought this spring while the rainy season is still upon us.