This winter we have had little rain, and along with clear skies at night, have had frost dusting the landscape each morning. Being so near to the ocean, frost is not a frequent occurrence here, and our temperatures still are mild with no damage to the plants. It has been a pleasure in the morning to walk around the property to see what we can see. There is much to see, even though we have just entered the month of March. I planted Hellebores in the garden about five or six years ago, and they have seeded everywhere, the seedlings now producing flowers of their own. In this damp climate it seems that every seed that hits the ground germinates, both a blessing and a curse, since weeding is a never ending chore. On the other hand, I have a large garden, and can dig up volunteer plants and put them elsewhere, otherwise I would be spending a large fortune at the local plant center.
I haven't planted many bulbs in the garden since gophers are a terrible problem here, plus the property floods in normal winters, and they would either get eaten or rot. My neighbors gave me some daffodil bulbs last year, though, safe to plant here since they are toxic and are not eaten by anything, and this year I have two wonderful swathes of their cheerful yellow flowers.
There is so much to see in the greenhouses it is hard to keep track of it all. The Oxalis are starting to fade a little. Around March, many will start to die off, and now I get impatient for it to be over so that I can remove the ratty foliage. We aren't quite there yet, so I can still enjoy the Oxalis obtusa for a couple more weeks. The South African gladioli are blooming, as are the Lachenalias. I have had some seeding into adjacent pots, giving me pots that are mixed species, so yesterday I had to get ruthless and just throw some pots away. It is hard to do, but things do not get better, and I don't want to be sending someone the wrong bulbs. The last two years I have cut all the flowers off the Lachenalias, but now I realize if I do this I don't know if there is a problem in a pot, so I must let the buds open before I remove the flowering stem.
This time of year I often have a project done on the house. When you own a house that is more than 100 years old, the work is never ending. You have to be the kind of person who actually enjoys the renovations. Recently I had the master bedroom completely remodeled. It was ugly, with two very large closets that took up a great deal of floor space and blocked a window, plus the ceiling was sagging, so it was gutted and redone. The work crew, seen here taking a break, is a pleasure to have around, and the results were fantastic. I rent my house out to vacationers in the summer, so although I never use this bedroom, I hope the guests will enjoy it.
The birds are getting restless. There is a little white crowned sparrow singing outside the window. Spring is here.