More March Flowers In Northern California and a Little Rain!

 Happily, these last days of March have brought us some rain in the Redwood Empire. I watched these clouds float over the neighbors' trees and off to the east after one of our showers and was sorry to see them go, but we've had more rain since then and the ground is soaking it up.

This is a young New Zealand Tea Tree that I planted in the front  garden a few months ago.  Its blooms  are smaller than a dime.

 My next door neighbor of many years moved back to Montana while we were living down in  Carmel. She left a row of Iris on the edge of the street in front of her house. Here are two of her  blooms. 

My iris  haven't quite opened...but soon.

                                         

                                           

 Some of the  neighborhood oak trees reminded me that not just brightly colored soft petals are beautiful...and I agreed.

California Wild Lilac ...Ceanothus 

Yellow Lady Banks Rose

This is thornless and will climb a tree, drape a roof or trimmed up, behave itself and simply grace the neighbor's white picket fence.

               The yellow glow beyond the field of green is wild mustard which is blooming all over the county.

                         
                                            Some of the trees are just beginning to leaf...

See how the tiny, but oh so many, mustard flowers glow from afar?

Purple  Vetch  of which there are many varieties.

A sampling of Sonoma County March flowers wouldn't be complete, especially in west county, without some apple blossoms.

                               On an unpaved alley in town, backed into a tangle of last year's black berries and vines of green ivy, sits this rusty truck.  I had just tucked my camera back into my pocket and almost didn't see old Tom napping.  He, like the bark of the oak trees, reminded me that beauty isn't all about the first blush of blooming.  And I agreed, but I sure am enjoying the flowers that have popped out this March.

                Some bulbs I brought home from Carmel have finally made their name known to me and are multiplying and blooming in a pot on my deck. They are Wand Flowers ( and yes there are other flowers also called this..hence my confusion...) botanical name Sparaxis.  I can see them from the kitchen table and they look so bright on the grey rainy days we have so badly needed.

So...spring is coming...it gets to some corners sooner than others, 

but I suspect it can't be too far away for any of the continent now.

After all, a few more days and it will be April.

Happy springtime.

Jeannette