"At least our weeds aren't boring" hahaha! Oxalis is a huge problem here, stuff never seems to really go away. I did order Snapshot yesterday in hopes it will help keep it at bay. It was recommended to me by the Seattle rose society.

Funny how something you think is far away enough it won't make it to your garden somehow does :) Yes, I think all of us on the west coast have had an odd winter. I did notice snowdrops blooming today. We may not have your blooming quince or iris, but still very thankful for that little sign of spring! Let's hope it comes on quickly! Thanks again for the pictures! Much appreciated.

Sarah

I didn't know spider plants could grow outside LOL. But I suppose in your climate they definitely could. I was amazed to see people growing poinsettias outdoor at Christmas time when I was there several years ago! Oh I was envious!

Yes, I hate to throw out plants, so one year I planted a poinsettia someone gave me in the yard, way out by the street. Did you know they were climbers? I did not. Sure enough, it grew up a telephone pole! It bloomed every year, and survived for about 4 years, until one winter we did have temps below 25 degrees for several days - that was the end of it.

Jackie

I forgot to ask - frenchcuffs13 - what is "Snapshot"? How does it work? Our oxalis tubers are tiny, and lurk at lest 12 -24 inches under the surface of the soil. Would love to know about something which might "keep it at bay"

Jackie

Snapshot is a pre-emergent like Preen, except lasts longer- six to eight months. I spread it early spring and late fall. I buy it on Amazon with Free shipping. It's a bit pricey, but it's a 50lb bag, so there's enough for several seasons. It really cuts out alot of time weeding. I'd rather tend and enjoy my garden then spend time weeding! I hope that helps.

I had no idea poinsettias are climbers! Who knew?! Hahaha!

Frenchcuffs - Thank you for your comments and I'd love to see your spring flowers and roses after they emerge from winter which I hope is over soon for you.

Jackie - you have a fabulous garden and I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of your beautiful roses! Good luck with removing all the yuky stuff.

I always make a mental note of the first day when I have to start wearing a coat and the first day I don't have to. Yesterday when I went to Fremont was that first day with no coat - yeah! I even came home with the convertible top down with no fear of a sudden shower. Today was 67 degrees and I managed to do a bunch of pruning and I transplanted Princess Anne. I planted PA last fall after getting her at the half price Regan's sale. PA came out of the ground easily but I discovered she was sitting in a lot of water. I stuck my trowel in the water to see how deep it was and the whole metal portion was submerged. So I won't be planting any of my bare roots or 1 gallons until maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, just before the next set of storms.

Ann

You both are enablers! In the best way of course. After seeing your photos and talking with Jacqueline, we made a quick trip to MC lendons and came home with Neil Diamond and Paradise! Oh I know this is bad but they are weeks grade A bareroot in pulp pots for $20 ( that's how I justified it anyway ) They were just put out yesterday lol. Thanks for the inspiration hahaha! :)

My rose society group raved about Neil Diamond so I think you got a real winner. Always nice to get a bargain too!

Thanks you for posting I need same reminder that spring is indeed in the horizon...especially after having quite a bit of snow yesterday but I did enjoy shovelling snow NOT

I too miss color and blue skies. Here it's gray, humid, chilly....but dry: the worst of both worlds. However the sun is forecast to come out in a couple of days and temperatures to rise, so I'm waiting hopefully. I don't mind so much it being winter if I can work comfortably outdoors. We're still in the season of winter aconite, hellebores, and snowdrops starting to open.

Congratulations, Californians, on your rain! You've waited for it a long time.

I wish we had interesting plant nurseries locally. Horticulturally where I live is a desert.

Hi Melissa -- I hope blue skies come your way soon. One of our friends is a chef from Parma, Italy; is that any where near where you are?

Most of California is coming out of the drought but the rain has missed some areas. The reservoir where our community gets most of its water is 40 ft higher than a year ago and will likely reach its full capacity before spring which is great news for us. The reservoir has what's called a "Glory Hole" that will release excess water as needed. With the water level within 24 inches of spilling into the hole, there are watch parties taking place.

https://localwiki.org/davis/Morning_Glory_Spillway

Hope see to some lovely photos of your roses, flowers, and any other scenes you'd like share some time this spring!

Ann

Today. Hooray spring!

Yes, they are popping up in the lawn... Haha. We are new to this house, so working on getting the gardens in shape. Finding lots of little surprises!

Looks great - happy spring!

Have you visit Grocery Outlet yet? They have cheap bareroots from certified roses better and healthier than Lowes and cheaper. I live in Nor Cal too, Thanks Beth (bethnorcal9) who told us where to find certified roses for less as $5.99. Some good and hard to find roses like Brigadoon, Margaret Marill to Royal America climber. For DA, check out at OSH, $20, if you use coupon even cheaper.

Thanks Matthew!

Ann, Parma is right down the road: we live in the province of Piacenza, close to the border with the province of Parma. Ask your chef friend about winter in the Po Valley. We've had about three-quarters of one day of sun so far this month. But skies are forecast to clear tomorrow, thank Heaven. No rain in the forecast, and it's dry.

Nifty snowdrops, Frenchcuffs. I hope you find a lot more pleasant surprises in your new home.

Yes, Thank you Matthew.!

Melissa, yes the snowdrops are cute. I had no idea you weren't getting enough rain over there. I do hope you get some rain soon with sunny days to follow !

I was out doing some yard work today. Nice day between storms. Did some raking of pine needles to fill up the green waste cans. Got a wonderful familiar whiff from across the backyard. My Daphne is blooming!! Love that stuff!! Spring's a comin'! Altho we're expecting more rain this week. Not sure what the temps will be like. But at least the days are getting longer.

Melissa - How amazing that you live near Parma! I think he learned to be a chef in Parma but he's actually from a really tiny place just outside Parma. We've met some of his relatives that have come to visit him. I'll ask him about winter - but he's a bit busy right now getting his Valentine's Day menu ready.

Beth - I think you mentioned that you live north of Chico so you're far away from the Oroville Dam (I hope). I was given a small bouquet of Daphne last year and loved it! I was thinking of getting it but sadly, there's no room since I'm over committed to roses. It's still only in the high 30s in the early morning here, but seems to be stabilizing in the low 60s during day, hooray!

Ann

Ann I really enjoyed your photos of Regan's and the gardens in Petaluma.

Did you end up getting a saucer magnolia tree? They're my absolute favorite flowering tree. Magnolias are prehistoric... did you know they evolved to be pollinated by beetles because when they first were around bees didn't even exist yet!

They are like the OGs of the plant world. I think it's pretty bad a** that they survived while dinosaurs didn't. They're tough survivors and beautiful, rich in history, which is why I love them so much.

I have hesitated getting one because I just didn't know where to put it... but I was delighted after talking to the nursery specialist because in my area they actually do well in shade as long as they get a few hours of sun. I didn't know that! I have shady areas where I have room for sure! So I bought one. They also propagate well from cuttings, so after this spring I may have 2 saucer magnolia trees. :)

So what did while you were out at all these wonderful nurseries?

Hi Cori Ann - thanks for your comments! I do not have room for any more flowers, shrubs, etc. so I did not buy a single thing at any of the nurseries. Last year I was focused on fragrant lavender roses, this year my quest is for discontinued DA roses which I've found through Hortico, Heirloom, etc. so I've filled nearly every space, including removing a strip of my front lawn so you know I'm truly rose crazy. I saved one spot for a rose that I might fall in love with at a nursery this spring/summer and I'm disciplining myself to keep it open. I think the rose season is going to be really fabulous in the Bay Area this year!

While at Cottage Gardens, I did see the much sought after Princess Charlene de Monaco. It was sold out at Regan's when I went there. Cottage doesn't do mail order, so if you're in the Bay Area, and can trek up to Petaluma, they may still have this rose for you.

At my first home, we had a massive, saucer magnolia tree in the back yard that I'll now think of as "prehistoric" in size after your wonderful natural history lesson. The first owner planted it decades before she left. It was really lovely, so I got the experience of having one. Around our greenbelts there are numerous examples of this lovely tree so I'm very happy to take photos every year during my walks. I was a science major so I'm happy to hear about the origins of plants, animals, and all ancient environments.

I was thinking the other day how normal it is that most flowers are once-blooming in a season. We are lucky to love a flower that we can experience almost continuously for many months, or even most of the year depending on climate. Love being a rose grower!

Ann

Good to know about Princess Charlene de Monaco. I already have a couple. ;)

Wow Matthew! Beautiful flowers - I really love that striped camellia.

I love hellebores! Despite total neglect since last year, and flooding rain for 4 1/2 months, mine have all started blooming. A couple of pics below, along with some iris which have also ignored the floods and bloomed anyway, and DID NOT fall over!

Jackie

Jackie -- I love your hellebores too! I saw them at Regan's last week. I love irises and have two types, but mine are still sleeping and won't be around for another couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, we went for a drive today to check out surrounding neighborhoods before the roads flood again. The mustard flowers that grow in the vineyards are at their peak right now. Seeing these flowers in a massive field always signifies for me that we're on the cusp of spring!

P.S. I live in a valley with a lot of flat land for vineyards, orchards, and other ag-related business. Last week, I was caught in a nightmare where the four-lane freeway near my neighborhood was mostly closed due to flooding, with only one lane open. There was a massive traffic backup which led everyone to exit onto the agricultural backroads, most of which were flooded and closed. I found myself ten minutes from home but stuck in a back up that took 2.5 hours to get through. For the rest of this particular winter, I'm not leaving home anymore when it rains.

I love the mustard! It is blooming around here also.

I too decided to stay home when it is raining (especially when it is raining 1/2 inch per hour, which it did last week!). Stay home and cook - a fun thing to do during storms. I have been making stew, casseroles, and other goodies - I put them in the freezer in "one dinner for two" size containers. Then I don't have to cook dinner on any particular day when I don't feel like it. Trouble is, our extra large standing freezer in the basement is now full!

Jackie

Hi Jackie - Yum! I just wish I were a better cook. I just came back from feeding the birds and took these two shots.

First rose of 2017 (but not grown by me) - Blue Mist mini, arrived last week from Angel Gardens. I bought Blue Mist for the lighter shade in the photo below taken in fall 2016. I'm so desperate for color and roses, I'll take anything right now!

Here's a home grown flower - a baby daffodil that's about to get thoroughly battered by rain in the next few days. Love the color!

Spring is definitely on its way.

Ann

Mustard flowers hold a special place in my heart and signify spring and happy childhood memories to me too. There's not too much blooming in my yard right now. Except the pink breath of heaven (thank you to roseseek for that recommendation) and my new saucer magnolia...

There are signs though... as Falstaff is showing many laterals starting (very excited since that was my first attempt at training on official obelisks)

Little Meyer lemons always seem to be about...

And my attempts at rooting virus free Fortuniana (to use as rootstock to learn budding/grafting) are looking pretty good...

Love seeing spring in your yards. Thank you for sharing!

Wow Cori Ann! You've got a lot of wonderful things in your garden and you personally are accomplishing a great deal. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks! I am hungry for warmer weather though. Which I'm sure is offensive to others that have regular cold winters... but I'm just made for hot sun and warm breezes! All of the photos on the forums recently show me that I'm not the only one dreaming and wishing of sun, warmth and blooms. :)

Seeing all the photos has been awesome!

Cori Ann.... it's nice to see the pink Breath of Heaven plant again, and just to say that I grew it here for a few years.. photo below.... I think you call it Coleonema but here we know it as Diosma ericoides 'Pink Fountain'... I'm almost certain they are the same.. I also loved the conifer/heather like foliage and graceful manner... it proved quite hardy..

I get a little amused by the reports of fragrance on these plants, and the name 'Breath of Heaven' sounds like a South African joke to me, on the rest of us... as I had to get rid of this plant eventually as I could no longer stomach the stench from the flowers - and I mean they stink, of old smelly socks.... would you agree?...

Lol. Marlorena they do have a distinct smell. I notice a light, lovely fragrance.... but then there's also this note of something not so nice. Bitter smelling. Definitely not pleasant. Not quite dirty socks.... but it is something bad... so the fragrance isn't all good.

It's like a breath of heaven... with a reminder of hell. ;)

Walking down our long driveway this morning to get the papers, I suddenly smelled the most amazing fragrance. Daphne! Even though the one daphne in our garden was at least 20 feet away! They are amazing plants. Mine is not much to look at, but it certainly earns its keep!

Jackie

I want a Daphne so much! I'm going to have to figure out how to squeeze one into my yard.

I got my first Daphne in one gallon, not so cheap though I paid $25. But they have killer scent and very pleasant. I saw some nursery carry Daphne Perfume Princess, going to get one, a bit leafy than the one I bought

Awesome Matthew! I'd love to see a photo of the Daphne Perfume Princess if you get it.

That's a gorgeous Daphne, great foliage too. I like them when they get bigger, like a small tree size...

I find they can be pruned, but definitely not moved, so one has to get it right first time when planting. Mine is about 8 x 6 foot and reaching full flush right now... I get about 3 - 4 months flowering from this bush... anywhere mid Dec to early April...

Like a summer's day here today, almost unknown for this time of year, so I just took this. It acts as a host for a Spring clematis and part of 'Zephirine Drouhin' later on...

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'...

Thank you for sharing this photo Malorena - your Daphne is really glorious! I didn't think a Daphne could grow beyond 4-5 ft, and I'm glad to hear that the flowers can last over several months. I was told by a local nursery that Daphne's flowers last about a month or so, similar to a lilac shrub.

That's a bigger daphne than I've ever seen in my life. European nurseries seem to be rather afraid of daphnes--the British are obviously braver--and they're hard to find, especially if you're budget-minded (i.e. cheap) like me. Fortunately the only commonly available daphne here, Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata', is also one of the most fragrant, beautiful, long-lived, and easy to grow. And, good to know, you can grow it from cuttings. An absolute queen among shrubs, and highly recommended for those with suitable conditions. My parent plant is now about twelve years old and is about 3' x 7' x 5'. I pretty much leave it alone, having sited it correctly at the start, and it thrives marvelously. It has several cloned babies about the place.

My not being able to grow camellias, azaleas, and blueberries, is somewhat compensated by my garden's suitability for a number of daphnes. What I've been able to scrounge together over the years are the 'Aureomarginata' mentioned above, our native D. laureola, laurel spurge, successfully dug up and moved from nearby woods (this is nicely evergreen but not striking, and is invasive in parts of the western U.S.), D. mezereum, also native, but I had to order it from Germany; and D. 'Eternal Fragrance' and D. x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie': the former thriving, the latter puny but it hangs on and grows, though slowly. They're dreamy plants.

You have a lot more varieties than I do Melissa, but I've seen the one I grow at double the size of mine in another garden, which first drew my attention to it.. I want to let mine get quite big too, it's proving more vigorous with age...

We were talking of global warming nearly 30 years ago, or whatever we called it then, we had some mild winters and warm Springs and at times when we get this sort of weather I like the idea of it, [I've turned my heating off and the windows are all open today]... but it's not good for Butterflies as they emerge too soon, as this one has on the bush this morning..

..a small Tortoiseshell, male I think, and very common throughout the country..

Beautiful pics everyone! It just makes me happy to know that spring is coming soon.

I have buds forming! Defoliated 6 weeks ago... so it's good to know the timeline for defoliating and buds forming for the future (at least the timeline in my yard).

Don Juan

Barbra Streisand (I know hybrid teas don't need support, but Barbra seems to like her obelisk, and I like bending her to my will)

The others may start forming buds now too since we are going to have a few days of sunshine and no rain. :) YAY!

Blue Girl is growing very fast and aphids have been attracted to all of her new growth. I'm glad I put her near the fence. It seems like she's reaching already and is going to do that thing where she grows like a climber. I like it! Im probabaly going to tie her laterally to make her bloom more.

I don't know bugs that well, but hopefully whatever bug this is, is eating the aphids and is hungry for more.

My tulips are coming up too! Spring is pretty much here! :)

Wow Cori Ann - buds already! I'm just happy to see leafing in my garden at this point. We weren't supposed to get rain today but hail the size of rice grains just covered my back yard a few minutes ago. And it was only 34 degrees this morning. Spring and sunshine are definitely here but with a few, short-lived interruptions.

These daffodils survived the 48-hour non-stop rain we had over the President's day weekend. Love this wonderful color!

If we keep getting sun, maybe I'll see a rose bud or two next week!

I'm so excited! I have a real sign of spring in my yard!

Tada!

This is a record for the earliest bloom in my yard. Having anything bloom outside in Michigan in February is weird! This is usually our coldest and darkest month. I know it won't last, and it will be weeks before I see another, but it was a thrill to see this little spot of yellow in the garden.

Hi Seil - that's a really sweet little flower! It's amazing how the natural world can bounce back from winter.

Nice!

Yes Ann I am in a little spot of the inland bay area that gets a lot of sun/heat and not as much rain, even with all the flooding going on in most Norcal areas. It must be the foothills and Mt Diablo nearby. It socks in the heat and shields us from a lot of rain. It has been in the 60s with a couple days in the 70s. At night it has been in the 40s and 50s. The local creek is still towards the bottom, not even close to a 1/3 full. Isn't it weird? All of us in the greater bay area are not far from each other, but totally different temperatures and levels of rain! All these little bay area microclimates.

Cori Ann - Very true about all the Bay Area micro-climates - there are even noticeable temperature and rainfall differences within my town, and sometimes within my neighborhood. San Francisco is the ultimate example of this phenomena.

Since it's so warm where you live, I won't get a complex about not having a bud yet :)) You're even ahead of the Regan Nursery roses - but they are in a cooler micro-climate from you!