Garden Related Fridge Decorations

In answer to Carol's meme here are my two garden related magnets and my note pad... gifts from people who noticed what I like to do in my spare time!

What's Blooming Today?

Having spent part of the weekend reading the new J.D. Robb book and hiding out from the incoming winter storm...which never amounted to much after all the warnings we were getting...I just today noticed that I've got a few new blooms to go along with the evergreen clematis that began blooming at the end of last week. My Camellia Chandler Elegans has several blooms that opened this weekend. Camellias do not like our soil and water but I keep hanging on to them for their blooms. A sweet little daffodil given to me a few years ago is beginning to spread into a nice clump...mostly I'm leery of bright yellow but I do like it in the spring to brighten up cloudy days. The evergreen clematis is slowly opening it's flowers...it doesn't look like I expected it to but I like it all the same. I'm hoping it decided it likes it here and by next year will be up over the arbor it's climbing. This arbor was the base for a fabric wrapped backdrop I made for my daughter's wedding and although it is not too sturdy I love having it here to remind me of that wonderful day.
The last bloom spotted was the first Santa Rosa plum blossom to open this year. We're expecting nice weather for a few days...I'm hoping for good pollination as the blossoms open if the rain can stay away!

Gardening Weather Gift

What a great gardening weather gift...it's been in the 60's and even crept up to 72˚ this afternoon. This is dangerous in the Davis garden because I start to go into spring mode and want to plant and prune and dig...I'm sure you all know what that's like. But the reality is there's another storm coming in and temperatures will be back in the 40's by midweek. So I got to have a little gardening fix and that will have to hold me for a while.(And yes, I do know how lucky I am to have had this gift!) Since I have today off I was able to actually spend lots of time playing outside...digging and dividing Peruvian Daffodils, planting some borettana onion seeds, spreading Ukranian Hollyhock seeds. I bought the hollyhock seeds from a local gardener who has gardening open houses and classes at her beautiful garden on the edge of town. They're supposed to be more resistant to rust than many hollyhocks...I'm curious to see how they do. I also put my newly finished garden sign out in the garden ...although I hope to hang it up eventually. The climbing roses are all putting out new leaves, the salvias and nepata have little leaves emerging from the ground and the evergreen clematis buds are getting even closer to opening! And here is one of my favorite sights...a ladybug resting on the dutch iris leaf coming up through the oregano.

GBBD February 2008

It's lucky for me Bloom Day is the 15th...we've had high winds for the last two days which meant picture taking would have been problematic. Today, though, is looking to be calm and sunny which is a perfect beginning to the weekend. As usual there are plenty of blooms in the Central Valley to perk up the garden, helping to draw the eye away from the plants waiting to be cut back after the danger of freezing passes. This is a frustrating time in the Davis garden...some days feel like spring and make me want to run to the nursery while the reality is it's way too early to assume winter is over. Plants cut back too early are susceptible to damage/death from a killing frost so I have to live with the blackened and dried foliage for a while longer. In the meantime here is the list for this month...

Rosa Berries and Cream
Red Cyclamen
White Cyclamen
Allysum
Pansies
Nemesia
Summer Snowflakes
Solanum jasminoides
Vibernum Spring Bouquet
Pelargoniums
Iberis sempervirens
Yellow snapdragons
Light Pink Abutilon
Abutilon Pink Parasol














Bush Mallow














Dwarf Carnation Evermore
Marguarite Comet Pink














Camellia Jordans' Pride in bud
Camellia Chandler Elegans in bud
Borage
Tulbahgia fragrans














Linaria (winter annual)
Pink miniature rose in bud
Rosemary Tuscan Blue
Crocus














Polygala dalmaisiana (sweet pea shrub)














Helipterum Sunray (false chamomile) in bud














Broccoli...under chicken wire and bird net to try to protect it from the sparrows. They think it's salad bar time.