You can tell by the bare trees in my yard that it is still winter....but you wouldn't know it by the temperatures and the bright blue skies...
You would think that it is Springtime in Southern California...not January...and to think just a few weeks ago...we were having rain and cold non-stop...but here in my neck of the woods...Mother Nature is very fickle...temperatures often go up and down very quickly. At the beginning of the month I was huddling under my blanket wondering if the rain would ever stop and yesterday I was in my bathing suit...sunning myself at Glen Ivy Spa!
I have been gardening everyday since the weather warmed up...my yard showed some wear and tear from all the rain...we are not used to that much water here in such a short time. We have plants that are drought tolerant...not made for the rain forests! So I have been cleaning up and trimming and trying to get my yard in a bit better shape...my back yard gets more sun, so I had quite a few flowers that were blooming well...these are all cooler weather flowers...almost all annuals...although an annual is not always an annual here...it may last for years in my yard...one never knows...
Stock flowers are a good example...they can last a couple years in the yard if they are in the right spot...this one is over a year old and still blooming very nicely...
This is a bloom from a green carnation I found half dead at Henry's Market right after St. Patrick's Day last year. It has a ton of buds on it now and a few blooms too...
Of course Pansies are always a winter and early spring favorite, but I usually prefer their cousins..violas, because they give me so many seeds all year long and stay in parts of my yard that are shaded through out even the hottest of summers...but Pansies are so happy, so I always have a few.
Primrose are just starting to bloom now too...this yellow one is so cheery!
More Primrose...I have lots of these, but most of them haven't started flowering yet...they are just starting to wake up.
I'm pretty sure the weather will start cooling down and we will get some more winter weather in a bit...but for now...we will enjoy this break and the warm weather...and I will be outside as much as I can...
14 comments:
We are enjoying the sunshine in our neighborhood too. Your lovely flowers remind me that I need to go out and clean up some of mine. I had very late blooming wild sunflowers that were blooming even through all the rains. Amazing but they are a bit spent now. Hope they come back again in the summer.
Such beautiful flowers in your garden! Enjoy the nice weather while you can. We're in for more snow later tonight. At least our last bit has melted before the new arrives.
Thanks for stopping by my zooming squirrel post. =)
You have an amazing green thumb! So fun to see you two yesterday! Happy Birthday!
What nice colorful flowers! Nothing here is in bloom except the witch hazel, but pretty soon we'll have pussy willows. What's the first red flower in your photos? It's so interesting looking.
Oh, it was such fun to see these pretty flowers, Linda, and I love primroses. We have pansies in bloom, but we have had to fight to keep them. It's been cold in Florida, but thankfully, no snow. It's gorgeous today!
Happy Outdoor Wednesday...
XO,
Sheila :-)
we've had great weather here in the mountains this week! beautiful flowers, thank you for brightening my day! :)
Rainy here in southeast Georgia, but lookin' for spring, and speaking of spring looks like it has sprung,your photo's are beeeeauuuutiful.
Wow those are beautiful pictures. I love up close pictures of flowers and other outdoor goodies.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
julie
What beautiful flowers. I imagine your garden is lovely.
The flowers are so lovely. I cannot even imagine sunshine right now! We are waiting for yet another snow storm.
Your close up pics are amazingly beautiful!
I am so envious of you - gardening and enjoying these beautiful blooms in January! Your photos are gorgeous. laurie
The very unpredictable California weather. That's how I get sick, still nursing a cold.
These are beautiful blooms and so colorful. Right picks for your garden.
Linda I enjoyed looking at all your beautiful flowers! We have to wait until at least March to see bulbs begin to grow and it doesn't get warm again till June..a long way off right now! We might get more snow tomorrow. Enjoy your lovely weather!
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