Spring Has Sprung

It feels like spring 365 days a year in LA because the weather is so beautiful.  We are fortunate to have green plants all year round and depending on the type of garden you have.  My garden consists of hydrangeas and roses which typically bloom in the spring.  I just got back from vacation on Tuesday after being gone a week and my garden is just feeling the taste of spring.  The roses are budding, all the leaves and buds are blooming on the hydrangeas, my hollyhocks are growing, and my hibiscus is opening up.  When I grew up in Connecticut we could always tell spring by the crocuses, dog wood trees, daffodils, tulips, lilac bushes and forsythia. 

I planted two Gardenia topiary plants on our upstairs balcony outside our french doors.  My plan is to paint the porch floor white.  I thought these would be beautiful when they bloom and we would get the fresh scent of Gardenia when the wind blew.

 

We rent our house, and the owners have it painted a blue/gray color with a red door.   Little beach houses are becoming extinct here in Manhattan Beach.  I wanted it to look  like an English country cottage and decided to compliment the house by adding pink flowers and roses.  I added touches of blue on the porch with a potted hydrangea and lavender. 

When we moved into the house, the yard was bare with the exception of a yellow and pink rose bush and one hydrangea.  Four male college graduates lived in this house, let’s just say gardening was not their forte.  While this is the only plant that is not pink in my garden, it always makes me smile when it blooms.  I returned from trip last Tuesday to this beautiful rose in bloom.       

  Prior to going on my trip, I trimmed my pink David Austin heritage roses and sprinkled fertilizer around the roses and came home to these in full bloom.  When I decided to plant roses along the front of my fence, I spent a considerable amount of time researching roses.  I wanted something low maintenance, disease free, pink of course, and visually looked like a peony.  These roses are so fragrant and the petals are so delicate and beautiful.

    I love hibiscus because they bloom all year and come in a variety of colors.  My favorite is this coral pink color.  I’m waiting for them to get big enough so I don’t have to look at my neighbors oversized succulents.  I love succulents, just not these.  The boys next door won’t be offended because they don’t like them either.  I even offered to buy new plants for the other side of my fence and take care of them.  Their landlord said NO! One day, I will post a picture.  If you were the landlord trust me ~ you would have said YES!Last year,  I had been searching for hollyhocks in pink, maroon, and hot pink and found some seeds on EBay (most include yellow).  I planted them on the side of the house and the snails ate them (again thanks to my neighbors infested succulents).  Finally, I found the perfect place for them, right in front of the house.  They grew over 10’ and were incredibly beautiful.  They are sprouting up right now and cannot wait for them to bloom.   

Pink geraniums on our outdoor teak table.

  

Last but not least is my little munchkin, Ginger.  As I was photographing the roses, she laid down in the flowerbed and decided it was nap time in the warm sun, looks like she has something in common with the gnome.

Gardening has become a hobby of mine.  I am what you would consider, a rookie gardener.  I wing it!  I have no clue how to make the soil perfect, check the PH, and do all that other “stuff”. I stick it in the ground and figure out what does or doesn’t grow.  Sometimes it can be a waste of money but I think Peggy & Fritz would be proud of my makeshift garden.

GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY NATURE ~ I PROMISE IT WILL MAKE YOU SMILE!