Spring is here

A positive sign that spring is here is the green leaves showing up on the trees after a long winter sleep. The trees on this block are coming to full foliage in different degrees, but by the end of April they all will have their leaves supplying the tree with nutrients.



Another positive sign that spring is here is the vivid colors that keep popping up in the flower beds.

It's bloomin' Spring!

Spring is my favorite time of the year. I like looking for blossoms and color. From this cactus bloom that I happened upon, to the weeds "blooming" in the riverbed, Spring is here!

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Covered in yellow

Spring isn't just the season for flowers. It's also the season for trees to blossom. I'm still waiting for the streets lined with jacarandas, but meanwhile, I'm enjoying the variously colored trees, such as this one covered with yellow, that are exploding around town.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary

It's spring, and my garden is a little bit wild at the moment. Our nasturtiums typically bloom in the fall, but these have sprung up again for another round of blooms this spring.

How does your garden grow?

Early spring

It's my favorite time of the year. Springtime. Somehow I never cease to be amazed when plants just reappear in my garden, "reborn" from the bulbs that were hidden underground for so many months. And, when they appear, it is like a gift that I wasn't expecting. They bring beauty and somehow a renewed appreciation for the outdoors and growing things.

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." 
~ Lady Bird Johnson

Watering the lawn

Spring in Downey is so lush and colorful, mostly green with a splash of flower color. Watering the lawn keeps the green in our yards and makes for great photo sessions.



Of course, the insects are in full force also.

What do you like best about spring?

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."
~ Henry Miller

Spring has come!

The weather has sure been unpredictable lately. We had pouring rain just yesterday and hail in Huntington Beach! And, this weekend we are supposed to have sunny 82 degree days. But the ever-changing weather has not stopped my garden from coming to life. The morning after a heavy rainfall brought such beauty. My tulips and nasturtiums have started to take over....not to mention the morning glories.



"And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from dreams of it's wintry rest"
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

February showers bring March flowers

It didn't take long for the rain of a week and a half ago to bring out my daisies this week. They are so pretty, it's almost as if I knew what I was doing. Actually, my daughter planted them and God watered them. I just get to enjoy them.

Spring starts next week but I already have buds on my peach tree. I thought I had several more weeks before the deadline of when I needed to prune it. Oh well, better late than never.

Are you ready for spring?

Spring is in the air!

The Iceland poppies are in full bloom in downtown Downey. They actually look like crepe paper, and I love how they seem to reach for the sun.

"No where in nature can you find a purer color than sunlight passing through the petal of a flower" 
~ Larry K. Stephenson

The color of spring

I love spring! This photo is from a few weeks ago, but it gives the sense of what I love about spring....it's color and beautiful blossoms.

"It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

April flowers

April showers bring May flowers...In southern California, we've skipped the showers and gone straight to the blossoms (real and otherwise)! They are everywhere, which makes for some beautiful walks around Downey.

Spring in bloom

I love spring. It is a time of renewal and beginnings. Flowers seem to be popping up everywhere. They bring such beauty; they make me smile and feel at peace.



"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."~Claude Monet

April showers bring May flowers

The blooms in all the neighborhood gardens bring the hope of spring, with May right around the corner.

The hope of spring in February

It's been raining back and forth for the past few days. This morning it was clear and, even though it was chilly, the crisp air motivated me to work in the garden. It's been a while since I've spent any time there and it needed attention.

After a while, the sun came out from behind a cloud for a brief moment. I looked up from my task to see my nectarine tree (which I thought for some time I had killed). There were new pink blossoms "lit up" with the light from the sun. It was beautiful.

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!
                                     ~L.H. Bailey

Spring isn't just in the air

My favorite thing about spring is the color it brings to my yard. Whether hidden, like the strawberries, or in plain site, like the brilliant flowers, or chameleon-ized, like the not-yet-ripe tomatoes, color abounds throughout the green. Trees have their leaves again and are letting go of their flowers to produce peaches, apricots, limes, and cherries. The herbs are tantalizingly spreading their aromas. Even the gardenias are in full bloom right now.  It's a wonder I get anything else done.

Just outside

I was planning on figuring out a picture to do while sitting on the comfort of my couch surrounded by Kleenex and juice and a blanket wrapped around my legs. I've thrown it off at least a dozen times getting too hot to handle its weight.

And then I looked outside. And though my body forbade me and begged me to lie still, my heart drew me outside to the still leafless trees and the bright sunny sky. The first signs of spring are bubbling up from the greenery surrounding my house. It was too beautiful to just stay in.