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Saturday, May 05, 2012

Spring bloom time!

It's the height of spring here in SoCal. Just about everything is blooming--especially the roses. Here's what's blooming in my garden:

Cymbidiums

The most recent addition to my collection, which I bought last weekend for $5 at a garage sale: P1130602
Green and pink:
P1130601
And pretty pink:
P1130600


Front yard cottage garden
We're gradually transforming our front yard, formerly a flat, dull patch of scruffy lawn, into a cottage garden. Here's my favorite corner, which is actually beginning to look "done" (or as done as a garden ever gets). That's a lavender rose and sweet peas.
P1130599

Here's a wider angle, which doesn't look quite as done. Left to right, there's an almond tree (variety is All in One), with nicotiana and basil in front, then some purple salvia in front of the lavender rose and sweet peas.
P1130585

And here, not quite so nice, is the street side of the fence. I need to add some more bedding plants to fill out this stretch.
P1130588


Roses

My husband and I both love roses, and they look nice most of the year down here (not such a long winter dead period), so we've been going a little crazy planting them. Here's what's in bloom now: One of several roses we got from a neighbor last year. I don't know the name. P1130597

 And another mystery rose from our generous neighbor: P1130596

And another one. This one looks something like Double Delight, but our Double Delight has a slightly stronger scent, I think. I need to wait till both are blooming simultaneously and compare side by side. P1130594

Another gift from our neighbor:
  P1130593

And another, which unfortunately has some discoloration on the petals: P1130592

And here's our newest rose, at least till my order from David Austin gets here. It's called Sheer Bliss, and it smells as wonderful as it looks: P1130590

 And a closeup of the lavender rose in the cottage garden pics above: P1130589

By the front porch 


 Mandevilla, rescued last winter from the clearance rack at Lowe's for a couple of dollars: P1130584

Succulents and portulacas in my favorite terra cotta planter. We found this planter at an estate sale years ago, and I've tried a bunch of different plants in it, none with much success. I think I've finally found the winning combination.
P1130583

This is my favorite time of year here in SoCal. There are so many flowers, lots of perfect sunny days, and the heat and smog of summer are still about a month away. Now if I could just finish planting vegetables--and stop buying every plant I see--I could sit in the garden, relax, and enjoy the view. Yeah, like that will ever happen...

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