Spring Flowers

Dodecatheon hendersonii

Stylophorum diphyllum (Celandine Poppy)  

Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'

Spring Planting

Today I got the first of the spring crops in.  I planted snap peas, carrots, beets, lettuce, chard, and kale. I also planted onion starts and started some leeks in a pot. It really felt good to get out there in the dirt.

We're getting an estimate on having the irrigation lines repaired.  Several of them broke during the extreme cold in January.

Garden Leftovers

As I was out pulling weeds I noticed that I still had some carrots in the ground.  I dug some up and they looked pretty good.  There's also a long row of spinach that has overwintered beautifully.  So dinner today was grilled chicken, carrots (with store-bought asparagus), a spinach and herb salad and homemade bread.

It's good to be home.

Back Home

We've returned from our cruise, and it's Spring!  What a difference from when we left.

It looks like I've lost a few things from the severe cold in February.  A pittosporum and a grevillea look dead, and a cistus in front looks bad.  But I think both little citrus trees are alive, although they will probably have to be cut almost to the ground. We had above normal rain in both February and March, so pretty much everybody is happy.

Even though it's late, I've started some Debarao tomatoes.  They're the best paste variety I've ever grown, and I saved some seeds in case I can't find plants in the nursery.

I did some weeding today, but in general the weeds aren't bad.  The big push to get it done before we left has paid off. 

Leaving the Snow Behind

We're leaving in a couple of hours, and none too soon.  We have ten inches of snow and it's still coming down.  It's lovely, but what a mess.

Gardening among the Snowflakes

With just four days to go before we leave, and the weather turning sharply colder, I decided that today was the day to finish the last of the weeding in the front gravel.  I did get it finished, but it's been snowing lightly all day.

 Yesterday we decided it was time to take down the bamboo on the back fence.  When we put it up, we were aware that one of the fence posts was a bit wobbly.  But over the winter the fence has developed a definite list.  So the bamboo is gone.  After we fix the fence, we'll have to come up with some sort of diversion to at least partially block the house behind us.

Mache

After several years of trying, I've finally achieved a successful mache crop.  And we love it!  Mache, or corn salad, is a small leafy plant that has a mild flavor and is wonderful in salads.  It's extremely cold tolerant.  My September 20 planting has survived single-digit temperatures with no protection.

I'll need to plant a lot, because it's harvested by cutting off the whole plant.  But it's definitely a great replacement for winter lettuce, which always gets brown and mushy, no matter what I do.

It's a little early, but I decided to plant my 'Cascadia' snap peas now.  I planted a short row along a trellis.  I saved some seeds last year from one plant that kept blooming long after the others had given up in the warm weather.  I've planted six of those seeds on the end closest to the house.  It will be interesting to see if they last longer.

And lastly, my rhubarb is starting to sprout!  It seems early.