First Views - March (Country Mouse)

Well, our central coast ridge top garden is in haphazard shape. I've been otherwise occupied, unfortunately, with a bit of time for some propagation efforts and some planting out. The bunch grasses I planted a week ago are mostly munched, but maybe they'll survive. Looking around the place on the first (or second) of the month makes me realize what a lot there is to do around here. Depending on my mood this is energizing or overwhelming!

With the recent rains things are greening up finally. Ribes are blooming or past blooming, and the little redbud is blossoming too, just to the left of the bench. One day it will amount to something, I know it.

Wildlife garden on the woodland side. Fuchsia flowered gooseberry not as lushly covered this year.

Madrone in the early sun

Some flowers in the front bed, hummingbird sage and seaside daisies

Ceanothus blooming - no blooms in the heuchera or iris beneath as yet. Western bleeding heart just beginning to poke greenery up.

Path is still damp from the welcome rains

"Duncan's path" with some greenery and weeds - no flowers yet.

Looking down to the lower chaparral across the road, and into the valley beyond, on the sunny south east side

Ah, flowers! in the pool garden. I don't want the calla lilies but they won't go away, and they are beautiful, though horridly invasive. Jerusalem sage on the left, verbena lilacena "de la mina" bottom center.

More greenery!

My pet blossoming Heuchera micrantha

The ceanothus "Dark Star" was covered in noisy bees today. Native and honeybees. The native ones were too skittish and I didn't get a pic of one. Bright yellow and black and fuzzy they were.

Ah the ceanothus! hard to capture it in a small photo.

The clarkia is sprouting sprouting sprouting - so much of it! I love the reddish stems.

I'm amazed that the succulents are surviving here. Red maids in between, weedy natives maybe, but nice.

Well, my computer ate quite a few more photos I had to show you. It's a mystery to me where they went. But these are enough to give you a flavor of the place I hope, with some general views around and about.

If you'd like to join in Town Mouse's First Views meme, in which we step back and take a look at our garden views on or around the first of the month, pop on over to her March first views  post and link your first views so we can enjoy what's going on around your place too.