Spring Fever

I know. It's still the middle of winter. And what am I doing planting a garden in February? But I couldn't help it. The weather's been so completely beautiful for the last week or so, and we're all walking around in short sleeves, and Jack Johnson is on the playlist again, and it just seemed like flowers were a great idea. Besides, this is southern California. We're not even sure what the word "frost" means. So I went ahead and did it. And my flowers are so gorgeous! I love them. My grandma Kimber had a green thumb like you wouldn't believe: she grew the most amazing orchids in huge tubs on her patio, and loved spending afternoons among her plants, watering and digging and planting. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit the green thumb, just her love of beauty, so these plants will probably be dead in a few weeks. So I thought I'd take pictures and post them so they'll at least live on somewhere.

Here's what I planted, besides the blue hydrangea above:
Pink jasmine on our back patio, which smells SO good. This one's actually going to make it, because I've had it over a year and it's doing great. Jasmine's easy.
Impatien, also on our back patio. This one is a volunteer. It's growing in a hanging basket that originally had fuchsias in it, and I have no idea how it got there.

This is an anemone, something I always thought you only found in tidepools. Turns out it's a flower too, and this is my favorite among the flowers I bought. It's so big and floaty.
Pink ranuncula.......
......and white ranuncula, otherwise known as "the most beautiful flower with the ugliest imaginable name." The name makes them sound like they should weigh 50 pounds each and be very clumsy.
Snapdragon. So much fun. I'm afraid to show Judah what you can do with snapdragons, because he'd probably destroy them in his excitement.
Sweet alyssum. This is one of my favorite flowers. They're so tiny but they have so much fragrance, but it's not overwhelming. And if you let them, they'll spread out and take over large areas, which is what I'm hoping for.

Nasturtiums. These grew wild at my grandparents' place and I can't wait for them to bloom. The flowers are bright orange and red and yellow, and grow kind of under the leaves, and have a bitter, earthy smell.
Cosmos. Like daisies, but better.
Spanish lavender, another one that I'm hoping will get really big and take over a lot of space, and also smell good. I'm going to learn how to dry it and use it in sachets.
Primrose, which looks nothing like what I thought it would. I love how bright it is.
And hibiscus, which I've had since July. This plant did really really well over the summer, but is not looking so hot now. The leaves are yellowing and the flowers are opening up looking a little ragged. I don't know if it's just the wrong season for it or if I'm over-watering or what, but I'm hoping it'll come back in the spring. Any tips from any of you?

Besides all these, I planted thousands of seeds: bachelor buttons, bells of Ireland, Mexican primrose, and morning glory. I am seriously addicted to morning glories, and found a variety this year I'd never seen. They're bright red, so I planted them behind the nasturtiums. My dad's making me an arch for our backyard, and I'm planning to grow a moonflower vine over it, and blue morning glories beside it. Hopefully it will all grow...I'll keep you updated!