Actually, it rained twice this week, first Sunday night and again last night. I haven't heard any official word as to how much rain Los Angeles received but my little rain meter showed half an inch (12.7mm) from last night's storm, which is a lot by our current standards. While the clouds remained when daylight dawned, there was no more rain today.
However, there was plenty of evidence of the rain left behind in the garden.
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| Arthropodium cirratum |
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| Hemerocallis |
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| Coleonema album weighed down by rain |
Although rain signifies winter here in southern California, signs of spring are everywhere. The spring bulbs have started to bloom.
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| The first Freesias, like this yellow one, are blooming |
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| Pink Freesia |
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| Muscari armeniacum (aka Grape Hyacinth) |
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| Ipheon uniflorum |
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| Sparaxis tricolor |
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| Zantedeschia aethiopica |
The ornamental pear tree is in full bloom.
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| Pyrus calleryana |
The
Agapanthus have continued to pop up at intervals.
And now the
Acanthus mollis has put up its first bloom spike.
The hummingbirds are very active in the garden and at my feeder.
But the squirrel never ventures far from the birdfeeders (at least when he's not
attacking my outdoor pillows).
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| Do you think he cares how he looks from behind? |
I hope those of you hunkered down under ice and snow see signs of spring in your garden very soon!
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I'm glad you got some rain! Your garden seems quite happy. I can see why people flock to southern California. To see all your bulbs and early blooms makes me long for spring even more. Our spring is late this year. but we were due for a colder winter after some really mild ones the last couple of years. We have had a couple of warm days, but weather is still quite cold. We had some excitement yesterday when we saw some snow flurries, but it was only a brief reminder of what happened last week.
ReplyDeleteI think the usually sunny Rose Parade sends a lot of people in colder climates in SoCal's direction but, if they got a view of our freeway traffic snarls, they'd probably turn around fast. I hope the snow abates and spring comes your way soon, Deb!
DeleteHooray for rain! And hooray for spring!
ReplyDeleteI hope things are warming up your way, Alison. I saw news video of people cross-country skiing on Porland's streets!
DeleteYay for the arrival of rain! And your garden is looking extra happy with its arrival :)
ReplyDeleteRain is always welcome here but especially so now, Mark & Gaz!
DeleteI'll bet your garden released a huge sigh Kris! Isn't it amazing how much difference a little rain makes. Southern California/Winter.....heavenly :)
ReplyDeleteNice to see your bulbs out - snowdrops out here and should be followed by the Crocus pretty soon.
It's been so mild here my Zantedeschia aethiopica has barely suffered. I like the foliage of the Acanthus and it's neighbour. They set each other off.
Yes, everything is happier with the rain! The neighbor of the Acanthus is an Arthropdium cirratum (Renga Lily), one of my favorite plants.
DeleteYou are so happy to get some rain and we think it will never stop raining.
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful things in bloom, I love your Freezias and the Sparaxis is gorgeous.
It seems amazing to have Agapanthus in bloom, does it flower all year round with you?
The Agapanthus generally arrive en masse in late May. While there are sometimes 1 or 2 trailers into early fall, I haven't seen them pop up all over before as they've done this year. I hope these early blooms don't stop their late spring stampede of blooms this year.
DeleteI was so excited to see that CA got rain! Yay! I hope there is more coming. Zero signs of spring here. Even my bulbs are too cold to do anything. :( Your pictures look so warm and green.
ReplyDeleteWe usually hear a few people grumble about the rain here but, this year, everyone is holding their respective breath hoping for more. It's gray and cloudy today and there's rain to the north but all we've got is heavy fog and mist.
DeleteI am very happy for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loree! I'm hoping my rain barrel is filling up.
DeleteRain is nature's best soil amendment. Fingers crossed that the bounty continues.
ReplyDeleteThere's rain to the north of us today, Sue, but nothing much is predicted for our area in the 7-day forecast. The weather forecasters almost sound apologetic when they say that.
DeleteIt's starting to get spring flowers in southern Sweden but we still have some snow on the ground.
ReplyDeleteMuscari armeniacum is fine! that I have a lot of, but it will be long before it shows up.
regards
Mariana
Spring usually comes early here, Mariana, but it seems especially early this year. I hope your spring flowers come into full bloom soon!
DeleteThat's wonderful news about the rain, it should be a help to the garden. I remember it rained a lot in March when we lived in Southern CA so there's still a good chance of more rain soon.
ReplyDeleteNot many signs of spring here, we need to warm up first. Wish I had planted bulbs this year.