The grass is green and the rose (will soon be) red....

Spring this year has been a perfect mix of cool weather, showers (though there could be more) and sunshine. Since the bulbs start to bloom pretty early (late Feb/early March) here in Northern California, a few days of 75+ degree weather spells the end to these beautiful flowers. They "blow" and look droopy and daggy! I realize I'm not going to get much sympathy with this view point considering, this year that a good part of the mid-West was blanketed by blizzards. But...I digress. We did have that burst of warmth and my black and white long stemmed tulips wilted after just 3 perfect days...it was beautiful while it lasted and a small price to pay since the rest of the garden started to fill in nicely.
Here is a shot of them - the black (deep purple actually) ones are gone but the white and pink tulips are still there...


The tulip tree (a tulip magnolia really) fared much better. Cooler temperatures and some showers allowed the tree to be festooned with the blooms for a whole week while the azaleas under the tree just started to open. This picture was taken just when the first blooms took on color. I'll find a later picture... Right now the garden looks very lush. The lawn fluffy and green ( a temporary phase I'm sure, given my past experience!)
And here it is a week later....

Last summer, I'd acquired a South African Jasmine vine. It was advertised as being very frost sensitive but seems to have survived. The fragrance is quite mild - to me it looks and smells like a "Mullai poo" (or is it "Pichi poo? I always get those 2 confused..Always reminds me of that old song " Saamandhi, malli, mullai, roja poo. Malar. Manam". ).
While claiming this success, I must confess to killing (yet another) "Gundu Malli" plant. I had this guy in a pot, did not leave it out in the open during winter etc etc. Five star care. (Remember me when I am ) Dead. Dead. Dead.