Spring flowers in my garden

Welcome to my garden

Country life in the city

This is the pastoral scene I see from the window of my house. The rolling hills of Mission Peak Regional Preserve in Northern California can be seen in the background. I love seeing the black angus cattle dotting the hills, hawks, eagles and hang gliders soaring in the air, and the countryside feeling in a big city.

Geranium and pelargonium

One of the most popular

The name geranium and pelargonium are often interchanged. The leaves of a pelargonium has dark distinct bands or zones, hence these are referred to as zonal geraniums. It does not really matter, because when I make cuttings, I mix the zonal and non-zonal together. What's in a name?





I love this Martha Washington geranium (perlargonium x domesticum) which is thriving beautifully in a hanging basket under a trellis. This came from cuttings given to me by the owner of a Victorian Tea House who has a gargantuan bush growing merrily outside the tea house. She claims the secret for its size and the profusion of flowers is leftover coffee, which she pours over the plant.


This trailing geranium was the hummingbird's choice for building its nest. The geranium hangs next to the hummingbird feeder and is sheltered by a trellis above and a large magnolia tree from behind. Check out my other lens on the heartwarming story of the baby hummingbirds growing up in my garden.

Marguerite daisies

Pretty in pink

One can never have too many of these hardy and showy perennials. These grow like mounds of colorful flowers in reds, pinks, whites, yellows and blues and are the color palettes of my garden. I specially like the variety with several shades of reds and pink in one bush. Unfortunately, the blue marguerite is a late bloomer and was not included in this photo shoot.

Euryops yellow daisy

Excellent garden subject

This yellow daisy bush (euryops pectinatus) is 16 years old with a gnarled trunk. It was so much larger in its younger days but many of the dead branches have been lopped off. In spite of its age, this grand dame continues to show off its bright yellow daisies.


This yellow daisy looks just like all the other euryops but has spiked petals.

Australian Tea Tree

Therapeutic properties of the tea tree oil

This Australian tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) started off as a 5-gallon plant and has grown to be a rotund tree over 5 feet wide and 6 feet tall.
The tree is covered with small soft pink flowers, likes a sunny spot and is very low maintenance. It is fast-growing and attracts birds.

A closeup look a the densely packed tea tree reveals a many shades of pinks.



This is the New Zealand tea tree (Lepospermum scoparium "Snow White") and serves as a hedge and windbreaker. It has a refined appearance due to its small white flowers and leaves. It is also referred to as the Snow Flurry Tea Tree because the petals fly around like a flurry of snow when the wind blows. These shrubs are planted along the length of the deck. You can see a hint of it at the right side of the larger tea tree photo.

Read about the very interesting therapeutic properties of The Australian Tea Tree Oil.

Tulips

The divas of my garden

These colorful melange of tulips which I planted last January are showing their true colors. Vibrant, beautiful, and one of the most popular spring flowers, these tulips are my pride and joy this year. This is because this was the first time I was able to make these bulbs, sprout, perform and make a splash in my garden. I just love the striped tulips. These look like lollipops or sugar flowers for a cake.

Blue Irises

One of my favorite Spring visitors

Groundcover

A garden's colorful carpet

Vinca minor, with its bluish-lavender flowers, covers much of the backyard. It has a creeping habit and is invasive and could take over other planted areas.This groundcover is no match to the ivy (Hedera) which invaded my garden and took over the vinca minor's turf. After painstaking removal of the ivy, the vinca minor, once again, dominates the grounds.



The strawbery groundcover has small white flowers with yellow centers and are growing under the black pine trees in the front yard. The variety that grew in the backyard ( thanks to the birds and the bees) were more invasive and at one time crowded out the vinca minor.


This aparagus fern (Sprengeri) is not really a groundcover, but I put it under this category because it is invasive and hard to remove. These are sprouting all over the front and backyard and were seeded by birds, bees and wind pollination. The graceful arched branches easily hide those tiny nasty thorns.


I often confuse verbena for lantana and vice versa. I believe this is verbena and it is thriving along the edge of the rock garden. It has tolerated heat waves and the recent cold winter and is making a comeback.

Camellia Japonica

This is the only camellia that thrived in spite of being in a too sunny location. Thank goodness to a tall shrub that grew next to it (through wind and bird pollination) which gave it ample shade.

Red Dianthus

The red and pink dianthus flowers peek out from under a large azalea. It survived the cold winter we just had. For some reason, carnations do not thrive in this flowerbed. So I used dianthus as a subsitute for the red blooms.

A hint of Japan

Upright and graceful

This flowering cherry tree (prunus serrulata "Akebono") kicks off spring with its clouds of delicate cluster of pink flowers. Its name comes from its serrulated leaves. The "Akebono" cherry tree grows againt the fence of the sideyard and can be seen from the street.

Pink Cherry Blossoms

A wonderful shade tree and screen

This flowering cherry tree (Prunus Mt. Fuji) has horizontal spreading branches and a canopy of about 40 feet. It puts on a spectacular spring show in my backyard with its cascading clusters of pink cherry blossoms and keeps the deck area cool and shaded.

Inviting garden path

Holly bush with a lone red berry

Two holly ( Ilex) bushes grow along the sides of the garden path. These were mere 5-gallon plants when first planted, but now they stand at 10-feet tall with thick, spiny glossy green leaves with red berries. The berries are known to be toxic and poisonous if eaten by humans. During the Christmas season, I put a few cuttings as part of a table decoration.

Red alert! Important facts about hollies you should know.
Medically speaking, hollies are potentially dangerous if eaten. Twenty berries may constitute a lethal dose.

Freesias

Low-profile but unforgettable

Freesias are one of my favorite spring flowers. Not only are they lovely to behold, but these have a citrus-like scent which is unforgettable.
I like adding a few cuttings as accents to my flower arrangements.

Azaleas blooming all at once

Every gardener's favorite

These azaleas are planted in a shaded area under a trellis by the pool. It likes acidic soil and the moist, damp environment, away from direct sunlight. These colorful blooms will only last for a few weeks, but their showy presence shouts "Spring is here."



The white azalea looks so pristine and pure in its simplicity.


Drenched with raindrops, these azaleas look like dainty parasols with ruffly petal edges.


Who could resist the rose-like buds of the red azaleas?


The red and white azaleas look like nature's brushstrokes so artfully done.


This lovely pink azalea has the shape of a hibiscus. This is the first time this plant has come out of its doldrums after several seasons. Fertlizing during late winter did wonders to these azaleas.

African daisies

He loves me, he love me not

These yellow and purple African daisies (Osteospermum) were planted in the front of the house for two reasons. The combination of the purple and yellow flowers create a contrast because these two colors are opposite each other in the color wheel. Legend has it that yellow and purple flowers in front of a house bring the homeowners good luck and fortune. Am I superstitious or what?
Regardless of the reasons, these African daisies greet my visitors with their cheerful and spectacular blooms.

Chinese fringe flowers

The Chinese fringe flower shrub (loropetalum chinensis) has a rounded canopy and strap-shaped white fragrant flowers. It is a low-profile plant in contrast to the flashy flowers around it.

Hebe shrub

This attractive shrub grows under the birch trees in the front yard. This flowering shrub attract butterflies and are tolerant of any soil types.

Whiff of nature's fragrance

Bees love the lavender plant

The lavender bush matches its glorious purple blooms with its fragrance.


Pink Hawthorne bushes are planted all along the driveway as a hedge. These seem to be the favorite midnight snack of the deer.


The Rockspray Cotoneaster (cotoneaster horizontalis) with stiff branches and red berries mysteriously popped up in several places in the garden. It is an excellent plant for rock gardens or to espalier. Thanks to the honey bees for doing an excellent job in pollinating. This is evident when bees are swarming around the bushes in Spring.

Fruit Salad Tree - 4 fruits in one tree

The latest addition to the Spring garden in 2012

Evergreen Pear Tree 'Pyrus Kawakamii'

Non-fruit bearing

The evergreen pear tree or 'Pyrus Kawakamii' burst into a rounded crown of white fragrant Spring flowers with glossy foliage. The trunk is barely visible as the tree is all crown. It may be deciduous in coldest winter, but this evergreen pear tree has never dropped its leaves in our Northern California weather.

My little garden sentinels

Signs of good luck.

Gnomes in the garden are believed to bring the owners good luck. This guy looks contented resting next to the asparagus fern. I believe this happy gnome has cast a magic spell around my garden.


This large frog planter never served its purpose. No plant has ever been planted in it due to my procrastination. It stands as a sentry outside the house and I think I like it better this way. Could it be the reason why froggy looks a bit glum?

It's lunch time!!

Even gardeners need to keep time.

This charming sundial sits on our deck. It tells time pretty accurately when the sun is out in order to cast a shadow along the numbers. Time stood still at 12:30 p.m. when this picture was taken. One of my favorite motifs is the frog.

Lovely sun dials to grace your garden.

Hummingbirds love geraniums

Find your hummer's nest soon.

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