Signs of Spring in Southern California

A day before the Groundhog tells the world about the coming of Spring, February first in Southern California shows blossoms everywhere.

Happy Girl, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

It appears that our recent El Nino storms nourished the flowers and helped the insect population.


This flowering tree was filled with blooms, and quite a swarm of happy bees, which are not picture here.


There will be more Southern California floral photos here. This tree was spectacular, and covered in pink blossoms.


Enjoy an early taste of Spring fever if you live in Southern California. I think were in for a showy floral season with the help of all of this rain.

GARDENING TIP: Now is a good time to use the weed and feed sold at your local nursery. It'll boost your grass and fight back the weeds and crab grass that could take hold if you don't catch it now.

“The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.” ~ Jacques Benigne Bossuel

Happy Pink Saturday!
Thank you Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound" for hosting.

Welcome to my flower blog. This week I'm taking you on a garden tour. First stop; my rose garden! The more I garden, the more I realize roses are my favorite flowers.

“The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.” ~ Jacques Benigne Bossuel, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Earlier this year, I added new bareroot roses, and this is the first "pink" bloom on the new bushes.

Next stop... the area women's club hosts a yearly garden tour... and this home had a beautiful waterlily coy pond that ran right underneath the driveway.


The tour had five gardens, and the perfect mix of garden styles for the tour.


The cottage garden had this mullein verbascum album. It was quite frankly, the first time I had ever seen this flower. Thank you to my gardening friend Kate for the flower id. If you get a chance, visit her blog, it's packed full of gardening knowledge and beautiful flowers. http://www.katesmudges.com/


Finally, the last stop on our garden tour today, was taken at the flower fields in Carlsbad. There were so many ranunculas there, to focus on one seemed odd, but I thought it was fitting for our tour.


I hope you enjoyed your pink garden tour. Stop back soon, and you'll get the rest of the garden tour, and I'll surprise you with giant honeysuckles climbing the walls of a Spanish Villa. Until then, have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.

Seeds of Change

Most of the women in my garden club lived through the Great Depression. They seem to have such a better handle on saving things, being conservative with their money, and recycling goods. I also noticed they share plants from their gardens with each other, and they start many of their prettiest plants from seeds.

This year, thanks to our own roller coaster economy, I decided to try an experiment. I planted a seed garden. As these flowers bloom and grow, I'll share the excitement with you. I planted a patch next to my driveway, and a border around my roses. Then I covered them with fresh potting soil. This is photo number one, in a hopefully successful series known as "Seeds of Change." Wildflowers for a wildflower child.

Orchids

Orchids , originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

I do believe Roger's Garden has the best orchid displays I have ever seen. It's a gardener / photographers paradise there. Click the title, and the link will take you to their website.

When I saw the distant orange wall behind these orchids, I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew that wall would be the perfect backdrop for these amazing flowers.

Plumbago

Plumbago, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

I've been paying lots of attention to the plumbago, lining the walking trails in my Southern California neighborhood lately. It has delicate blue flowers, and creates a stunning ground cover.

Need a delicate hedge in your shade garden? Look no further.



This South African native comes in shades of light blue and white. Butterflies flock to this delicate beauty. This perennial plant is just wonderful, blooming from spring through fall.



I found an article on Dave's Garden with ratings about this plant. Enjoy.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/414/

A Sea of Beautiful Flowers

A Sea of Beautiful Flowers, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

As a California resident, I have an annual pass to Disneyland. Having the opportunity to go there often, sometimes several times in one week, I've come to appreciate the hard work the Disney Gardening Fairies do. I say that jokingly of course, as you never seen anyone working on the gardens during the day. I suspect they come out at night, and work their magic. Perhaps, Tinker Bell oversees her Pixie Patch friends.

Speaking of the Pixie Patch, I hear their new Pixie Patch is open to the public. They replaced the section where Ariel used to be located with a band of magical fairies, including Tinker Bell herself. I plan to visit soon, and will share the photos with you.

Grandpa's Garden

There is no more spectacular garden in my neighborhood, in my opinion, than Grandpa's Garden.  Grandpa is not my grandpa, just an elderly gardener, with the prettiest cosmos I think I've ever seen.

He's incredibly friendly, and chit chats with anyone who walks by while he's gardening.

Start these plants from seed if you want to see prettier healthier flowers!

And remember, mix it up a little with a few complimentary flowers to create texture and beauty in your garden!

Peggy's Garden

My friend Marilyn, introduced me to her sister Peggy, an avid gardener, a few years ago. Peggy is incredibly creative, and her garden is so inspiring to visit. I had the good fortune of being invited over for lunch in Peggy's magnificent cottage garden, and she allowed me the privilege to photograph and share it with you.

Peggy's Garden, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Peggy raised boys which left little time, or space, for gardening. She kept her backyard pretty barren, so they could play basketball.

After they graduated, a family member asked if they could have a wedding at her house. This sparked a new beginning for Peggy, and her passion for gardening soon blossomed. Here's a sprinkling of photographs from her lovely cottage garden. If you click the title above, I've attached a link to my Flickr page, with more photographs of her lovely garden. Enjoy!

A Roadside Garden

While driving, and following my navigator to a Chinese restaurant one day, I stumbled upon this gorgeous roadside garden.   I suspect it was started when someone sprinkled seeds there in the springtime.  It was filled with zinnias, daisies, cosmos and more.   

I think I'll try this seed sprinkling garden experiment next year. I have the perfect patch of soil, right beside my driveway. Hopefully I'll get the same stunning results.

Costco Roses

Nothing says romance quite like roses, and in today's economy, you can pinch pennies and please your sweetheart.

Costco has the most stunning rose bouquets, and they come in assorted sizes.

The Costco florist told me she loves her job, and it's a pleasure to spend her day with flowers. 

If you really want to impress your sweetheart, come home with one of their wonderfully chef prepared meals and a DVD. Romance is in the air.