According to the calendar, spring hasn’t started yet, but in my world it has. Over the weekend, our lilac tree burst into bloom. Maybe exploded is a better word to use to describe the event. The tree was covered and it is a delight to see. Since moving into our home almost five years ago,…
Garden
Camellia Crush
For those of you that have followed my blog for some time, you know that I am in love with my camellia tree. A very mature tree that anchors our front yard next to our driveway, it never fails to disappoint. It usually starts blooming in profusion in January. However, we were given a preview…
Daughter Lilac
Something amazing happened! Our lilac tree produced an offspring and here she is. My husband noticed this anomaly before I did. As I have posted before, our weather in Southern California this year has been uncharacteristic to say the least. Unseasonably warm for long stretches of time and rain in the summer and early fall….
Mystery Flower II
It wasn’t my intention to stay away so long, but life has been full. This mystery plant appeared a few weeks ago and continues to bloom sporadically. It is finicky in that it blooms in the early morning hours when it is coolest. Nature had its hand in deciding where it should be planted. We…
Dahlia Delivery
It is customary for me to share my mother’s excess bounty with my co-workers. Their color and beauty provide incredible joy for the workplace and I enjoy sharing it. As I have mentioned before, we have had an unseasonably warm spring followed by unusually wacky summer with humidity and rain. I think the plants became…
First Bloom
The first dahlia of the season has blossomed. Definitely worth the wait! With an unseasonably warm winter and unseasonably cool spring, the dahlias were confused and started to shoot up in mid-spring. For those of you that have followed my blog for some time, this is a late blooming for my dahlias as they face…
Lotusland Part III
A few more photos to share with you showcasing our visit to Lotusland. Enjoy! Our next visit needs to be in the Spring so we can experience the magic of the blooming lotuses, the namesake of the garden. Until then, I hope you will visit this magnificent gem of a garden and be inspired to create your…
Lotusland Part II
After Madame Walska’s death in 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit botanical garden and opened to the public in 1993. The garden, which is divided into separate sections highlighting roses, cactus, palm trees and of course, lotuses, requires nine full-time gardeners. The Madame wasn’t a fan of traditional flowers that you could wear on your chest…
Maple Magnificence
I have been away for a while and have missed you so. I came back from a long business trip to be greeted by our maple tree. It is small in stature, but graces our driveway with its beauty. It started to bloom before I left, but I think it is now fully realized and…
Vintage Roses
My garden amazes me. With the unseasonably warm weather this winter, we have been hit hard with a riot of weeds. No joke! Weeds everywhere you can see – front yard, side yard, driveway and back yard. Amongst the weed meadow in the back yard, I could faintly see these roses blooming. It brought a…