First Views of Spring? Last Views of Winter?

Since I started First Views last November, this is my first opportunity to show some pictures of the garden in the rain. Let's walk around and see how different the mood is, how interesting the colors. Above, the little wooden bridge, dark brown with moisture, and a small primula container that cheered me up when my natives hadn't quite started blooming yet.

See the colors of the wet pebbles? And how fresh the green of the poppies looks!

I'm also enjoying the wet path, with California Fescue on the left starting to green a bit, and other shades of green from Juncus patens, juniper, sedums, and monkey flower in the background.

But the real story this month will be blossoms. In the foreground above the little bells of Arctostaphylos 'Woodside' and further back, the plum tree is in full bloom.

I hope it won't be to cold for the bees, but somehow, the plums always make it.

Also beautiful and shiny in the rain is the buddha face, with the rocks covered with lichen. We had very little rain this year, but it's been enough to let the bulbs sprout and the lichen and moss cover the rocks.

In the side garden, Arctostaphylos 'St Helena' is almost done blooming, but I'm hoping for monkey flowers by the time the garden tour starts.

Salvia brandegii 'Pacific Blue' continues to show off beautiful flowers that delight pollinators. And I love the fragrant leaves.

In the front garden, the dry stream bed is freshly washed. The rocks contrast nicely with the different shades of green of Salvia apiana, several different succulents, and more Festuca Californica.

From the street, a similar view to last month, with the lime-green coyote brush and greyish manzanita in the foreground. But if you look carefully, you can see blossoms in the middle of the picture.

Another manzanita (Howard McMinn), showing off beautiful blossoms even part shade, and even in the rain.

Now I'm hoping we'll have more rain this week, and that others will join this celebration of first views of the garden. It's helped me to see my garden over the year, and it's been interesting to combine what I learned from bloom day and what I learn with this big-picture collection.

I'm adding a Mr. Linky widget and I promise I'll visit if you do a post.