After that frost, the only things looking good right now are one bougainvillea that was on a protected side of the house, garden herbs like dill, rosemary, oregano, and greens like my Merlot and Simpson Black Seeded lettuce and Purple Russian Kale:

Also, potted plants like my kumquat:

(sorry, don't know how to post multiple files using this site's Image Upload).

Some plants are showing signs of life though, ike my largest bougainvillea that I had trained to grow over the patio trellis. Starting all over again, but at least it's alive.

Valencia orange recuperating:

Meyer lemon also survived

As did the our Lisbon lemon we planted a year ago. It suffered the worst of all our citrus, dropping every leaf and having to be cut back the most. I haven't been out to examine the front yard yet, but in the back I think we only lost one boug and one lantana. Lemon:

Great new pics, PhxLynne! It looks like everything is rebounding nicely--that's good to see. Cute kumquat and delicious looking lettuce! Most of my citrus had only very minor damage, all except for the 7 foot tall orange tree I grew from seed. It got zorched, LOL, but is bouncing back nicely too. Thanks for taking the time to post your pics!

Just for fun here's a couple of things looking pretty good right now:

Epiphyllum guatemalense 'Curly' which I got as a small rooted plant several years ago. Wilson the tennis ball included to show size. Neat, contorted plant with very boring, small, dingy blooms that open around 2:00 a.m. and only stay open for a couple of hours--definitely not worth getting up to see!

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A large pot hidden underneath the foliage and blooms of some 'Picasso in Pink' petunias paired with a red zonal "geranium" (Pelargonium) and blue lobelias out on the patio.

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'Maricopa Red' a new-ish hybrid fairy duster. It's a cross between our native and super durable (but pale colored) Calliandra eriophylla and the bright red Baja fairy duster (Calliandra californica). It has the best habits of each parent. That's a spineless prickly pear Opuntia in the background. Obviously this is my back garden--otherwise the javelina would eat that spineless cactus to the ground overnight, LOL.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my garden, March 2013

My roses!

Your roses DO look wonderful Jaspermplants! Thanks for posting them so we can all enjoy them. They're great! This is the first garden I've had in a long, long time without a single rose. I need to remedy that! I love the pergola in your pic too--really nice!

I don't have any beautiful roses to share, but here are some other blooms going crazy in the garden. It's another section that's not what I'd call well-designed or well-thought out, but it IS pretty and everything is so easy, why not just relax and enjoy it, right?

Here are some cacti and succulents with yellow Gladiolus tristis (wonderfully fragrant at night), pink desert penstemons, blue ageratum, and some red geraniums in a hanging basket, plus red/orange nasturtiums by the birdbath in the backround.

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Good old Gasteraloe 'Green Ice' blooming on the east side of the house. It's a hybrid between a Gasteria (which love it here) and Aloe variegata (one of the few aloes that can struggle here in summer) and has the best traits of both parents: the durability and happiness-with-this-climate of the Gasteria and the neat patterned foliage of the aloe. So easy and fun. I buy them any time I see them for sale. Water only when dry, and afternoon shade, keep them happy. ZERO protection this past winter and you can see it looks great. I added Wilson the tennis ball to show relative size. That's a big clump of Stapelia gigantea in the background, another favorite plant.

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Keep the pics and updates coming. I gotta go rose shopping now, LOL. Happy gardening!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my garden, March 2013

Wild Flowers

Petunias under the largest plumeria.

The eight plumeria that survived the frost (I lost three) are all leafing out;

Recent purchases to train up the columns of our new patio extension include white Lady Banks Rose...

..and pink bower vine. Both are on south-facing posts in full sun, so have my fingers crossed with how they will do in the heat of the summer.

In the vegetable garden, herbs look great - German and French thyme, dill, oregano (Greek and Mexican), basil (Thai, purple, Itailan), cilantro, tarragon, marjoram, chives, sage, bay, mint, rosemary, parsley, lavender and lemon verbena. I'm also still cutting lettuce.

I also planted peppers (poblano and jalapeno) and tomatoes - Pink Brandywine, Black Prince, Ace 55, Red Beefsteak Heirloom, Husky Cherry, and Black Cherry. The Husky Cherry already has the first tomatoes:

Citrus trees all survived the frost and are doing much better. My Meyer lemon is leafing out and covered in blooms.

Echinocereus coccineus

Tetraneuris acaulis

P. superbus & P. parryi

I love these threads. So many inspiring photos :)

Wow, great updates everyone, things are really looking good! Love the wildflowers, and the plumeria waking up (mine are just now showing signs of life, and yes, I did lose quite a few this winter, grumble, but my favorite 'Celandine' made it through like a champ). Great tomatoes, citrus recovery, and charming garden pics too. You all are so talented, so fun to see these!

Just for fun, here's a raspberry colored California poppy blooming in the garden, plus a super cute little Mammilaria cactus, about the size of a tennis ball, plus just two of several blooms on my yellow flowered Cyrtanthus, a fun bulb with grassy foliage that does great here. Happy gardening, Grant!

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Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my little garden March 2013

Here is a section of the patio, this gets more shade

Here is the front of the house, petunias always look so good this time of year.

Here is the sunny part of the patio. Everything looks good except for a few tropical plants that got a nip from the frost, they are coming back though