Fuchsias and more

Come spring, I generally visit the local plant nurseries accompanied by some family member. The reason I need company is not to help me carry that huge mulch bag to my car - it is to stop me from carrying more to the car. I start with the harmless intention of buying some mulch for my tomatoes. But somewhere between the mulch and tomato cage aisles, dangling and pirouetting fuschias beckon me irresistbly. My knees turn to mush. I do not have THAT color cominbation of petals and sepals in my fuschia corner, I reason and pick one up and put it in the cart. Until my ward reminds me that I do have that color just a shade less pink. And they always turn less pink once they are off the nursery shelves, anyways.

This spring I indulged myself and stocked my backyard with my beloved fuchsias - four colors in all. I've been pinching them regularly to promote bushiness and so far all of them are doing extremely well. Hopefully they'll soon be filled with beautiful blossoms that I can proudly post here.

This year I also had a good set of camellia blossoms. This plant had been sickly for nearly 3 years - prior to my composting adventures. The plant is about 2 feet now and growing very vigorously. Once again, thanks to the pine needles compost that I added to the base of the soil last two years.

Taking advantage of the warm weather here, I planted a lot of vegetables over the last two weekends - several varieties of summer squash, watermelon, green chillies, raspberry to the backyard and more flowering perennials to the front. It was back-breaking work, tilling, digging, moving the wine barrel around, dumping 1 cubic yard of compost on soil but at the end of the day I must say I'd rather that my limbs ache from tending to my garden than from crouching over the computer desk.

My faithful companion, the 'Earth Machine':

I also did my weekly nature hike in Almaden Valley in the warm early morning sun. The homes in these hilly areas are so beautifully landscaped that I never tire of looking at them. Infact the motivation for the hike is primarily to savor the ebullience of the season.

Cherry Plum blossoms in my backyard:

This morning, some new birds visited my garden - they looked distinct and special and before I could run for my camera, flew away. I had identified one of them last year as Scavenger Jay, with my friend's help. I hope today's visitors will return so I can get to know them better.

Birds are chirping in my yard.

Plants are a shining emerald green.

Sky is a sparkling blue diamond.

What more can a girl ask for?

Springing to life

This spring I am trying two new things and re-trying an old technique in my garden.

(1) Since last May, I have been studiously composting all my kitchen and garden waste (every single scrap of it - including the half-eaten fruits that my family saved for later but I was too eager to add to my compost pile). It was a process of learning by trial-and-error but ultimately I think I have the hang of this composting business and I am glad I gave in to my instincts to go organic. Several plants, including my fuschias and hydrangeas are thanking me for it. I defnitely see my plants healthier, happier and shinier.

Winter is finally winding down and temperatures are playing tag between 50s and 60s. There's spring in the air!

The iceplants under the maple tree adding striking color to my front yard.

The herb corner bringing the spear mint and sage back to life

Cape Honeysuckle blooming coyly in my side-yard.

.... to name a few.

(2)Growing strawberries under the towering italian cypresses in a small 8'x1' raised bed. The bed is completely made up of compost (mostly decomposed pine needles) with just a thin layer of soil on top. I want to try this more as an experiment. The strawberries are already in bloom and some have little strawberries in them.

The old technique I am retrying is growing indeterminate tomatoes in a 4'x1' patch in the backyard. This is a tiny opening in the concrete next to the sliding glass door and receives direct sunlight for nearly eight or more hours. With the glass panes reflecting the heat and the patch's proxmity to the heated concrete slabs, the heat-loving tomato plants shot up to nearly 10' last year and provided unending juicy tomatoes late into the fall. I never expected this bounty from this little patch so my enthusiasm to grow tomatoes in that same patch for this spring is enormous. I've planted basil inbetween to protect the tomatoes from diseases (since I am not doing crop rotation) and have planted bush beans in the end. I must wait and see how it turns out this year but already I see very healthy growth there.

I love spring.

Unknown flowers

This is a plant that needs identification in my backyard. Blooms every spring. Makes nice cut flowers for table tops. Grows in the water-fountain area which does not have any water, incidentally, but plenty of shade and moisture from all the other plants around it. The ivy in the background has pretty much taken over the fountain area including the water spout and now barely anything else can compete with that agressive creeper.

There has been a profusion of these weeds(?) in my backyard this year mostly under the pine tree. I am pretty sure it is a very common weed but looks extraordinarly beautiful with their bright yellow flowers and clover-shaped lush leaves. In fact, I have seen these flowers in the meadows that line the highway miles on end. I do not remember seeing them in profuse blooms like this ever.