Flowers of Cinque Terre

We visited Cinque Terre in early May, last spring.
The hillsides between the towns were a lush green and the succulent plants bloomed.
Calla lilies looked beautiful growing wild in the ravines.

Blooms & Buds in the Dead of Winter

Between the rain and cold most flowers are dormant in this season.
It is called the ‘dead’ of winter for good reason:-)

Purple violets bloom through the winter here.
I think they don’t mind the cold, and must love the rain,
since these often sleep through the summer heat.

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Snowdrops are the first bulb to bloom in the calendar year.
This lone specimen is my only sample.
It will soon be hidden by the daffodils whose leaves are just emerging behind.

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Pink hellebore buds will open soon.

Evergreen leaves can be susceptible to snails, I have heard.
My problem pests are voles who have eaten leaves and left me stems.
A vole is similar to a mouse, but with a shorter tail.
I catch them in mousetraps in the garage and shops.

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Last April in Spain

From our hotel window in Barcelona, we could see a park.
This is what was blooming in early spring.
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We drove north from Barcelona, along the Costa Brava towards France.
The rugged coastline was mostly cliffs down to a sometimes sandy beach.
The cliffs were often strewn with beautiful wildflowers and succulents.

New Year’s Baby

Olympia hybrid spinach, planted in July 2015, is starting to flower.  Since they are hybrid plants, I will not try to save any seeds.  This makes me aware to next time look for open pollinated spinach seed.  Maybe the next spinach leaves will taste better than these did 🙂  So much for the first time I have ever been able to sprout spinach seeds in my garden, ha-ha.

At the same time I seeded spinach, I also put in an entire packet of turnip (on the left – they have reddish tops) and rutabaga seeds, each.  I suppose it was because I had the space and wanted to see if anything really would come up.  Of course, when one doesn’t care that much, the emergence rate is incredible.  We have eaten more turnips and rutabagas than ever in our entire life.  I have given them to friends (hey, wouldn’t your sheep like any?), and finally donated bags of vegies to the local Food Bank.  Really do not like to waste anything.  Though, the compost pile puts all excess garden growth to good use!