The 2 week frosts did some damage to the garden, but I've tossed the last casualties into the greens cart and have been weeding, fertilizing, and slug-baiting like crazy. The weather warmed up quite a bit so the plants have been taking off like rockets.

Spring is in full bloom, although the garden really won't look its best until May, when the roses and lavender really put on their biggest show. Spring flowers are smaller, more delicate, less showy than the summer garden. They often need close-ups to show them off at their best.

Happy gardening to all!

I've posted so many pix before of our frontyard, but few of our back, where we have two different patio levels and a number of different, mostly shade beds. Here's a photo of the upper patio, when you come around from the side of the house. You can see that the Tibouchina heteromalla, on the far left, has definitely gotten toasted by the frosts; however, new leaves are forming so it'll look fine by summertime. The pale pink coleonema in full bloom by the solar lamppost, is almost never out of bloom, all year long - an amazing shrub.

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As you descend to the patio level, there's a small triangular bed that abuts the back stairs of the house. The canna "Tropicanna" on the RH side is already starting to recover after I cut all the dead stalks back after the frosts. The small young Meyer Lemon tree is only 5 yrs old but gives around 15 lbs of lemons/yr so far. It hasn't been as productive as the one in the frontyard planted at the same time, which easily produces more than 2x that amount. I'm not sure why this one is such a "runt" for a Meyer!

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I've been impressed by the "Jack Frost" brunnera; it stays around all year although our winters make it shrink a bit. But here it is already starting to bloom again:

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Sweet broom, callas, and pink coleonema are all blooming now. The snail-like shell was given to us by a friend.

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Freesias are my favorite spring bulb - no winter chill needed, and the smell is divine! Aphids love them, though. These got a little overexposed, sorry:

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I'm surprised more folks in the Bay Area don't grow hellebores. Yes, they make poor cut flowers (they smell) but anything that stays in bloom for 4-8 months and is almost pest-free and drought-resistant, should be more popular, wouldn't you think?

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More hellebores - my newest is "Lady in Red", in front.

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Bearded iris - I have so many of this unknown variety, and it reblooms during the year. Such a gorgeous color!

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Melianthus major (aka honeybush) has tropical-looking sawtoothed leaves in a beautiful blue-green color. The flowers, however, are WEIRD! Before they open, they look to me like some sort of weird fancy ruffled chicken:

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Rhaphiolepsis indica "Ballerina" is a staple in my garden beds, one of the best mini-shrubs for small urban lots. It takes sun or moderate shade, never gets pests, is drought-resistant, easily pruned, and has lovely sprays of small pink flowers twice a year. The dark green leaves are a great background for other, showier plants. And it's available cheap at any garden center -- what's not to love?

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Vinca is a pest groundcover, I've decided. But at least the variegated ones can brighten up shade, and the bright purple flowers are lovely:

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And last but not least, I know it's spring because my roses, which were pruned to bare sticks at the end of January, are leafing out like crazy! I can hardly wait for the first blooms to appear - this is one of my favorites, "Intrigue", a purplish-red with a strong citrus scent.

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