Assault of blossoms

The first California poppy of the season. I know these are thought of as weeds; I can’t bear to pull a single one out.

Chinese paeonia suffruticosa, the phenomenal tree peonies are the first peonies to dramatize the garden.

Espaliered apples face the summer with confidence. It’ll be five long months before the mouthwatering crop is ready for harvest.

The finest porcelain china is only an attempt to imitate the apple blossom.

I’m not a major tulip cheerleader, but these double pink and yellows are elegant.

My old faithful burgundy tulips have withstood the squirrels another year.

Blueberry blossoms, seldom noticed, hint at the goldmine of nutrition to follow.

When I visit with friends living in the upper Midwest I hear slight tones of envy and the over-generalized statement that we can grow anything here.  That is not accurate; I’ve often killed beautiful specimens with only the best intentions.  But there is no denying that a wealth of diverse species proliferates here, where ocean currents are trapped within networks of mountain ranges, bringing precipitation and mild temperatures in the winter, and warm dry air across the summer.  Roots develop nearly year round, and the evergreen nature of plants sends collected solar energy to them, working, building for the future as we humans for the most part, miss this miracle for lesser, trendier, electronic diversions.  But when the spring sun shines, the assault of blossoms from the high road to the low road is unavoidable by even the busiest businessman.

Just a couple of blocks away from home, I’ve been watching this Lady Banks rose grow out of bounds for the past several years.  Fully untamed, it has grabbed the cedar tree next to the fence and ascended a dozen feet upward.  Go for it, I say.  While the selection is aggressive, to say the least, who can avoid the breathtaking spring array, especially paired with the mature cobalt blossoms of Ceanothus Julia Phelps.  A walk down our road is abruptly halted by the power of this stunning pair.

I nominate this front gate as the most charming entrance in the neighborhood.