GardenBook

Spring rains are welcome, needed, appreciated and deflating. The momentum of spring clean up stops abruptly, the felines head back indoors , the mollusks emerge looking for meal opportunities. A fresh crop of weeds will likely appear in a few days . 

  A light frost lands only on the rooftops here , and the wind machines drone away in the vineyards . In the garden, before the sunrise crests the hill it's chilly but verdant and colorful . The camera will capture sights that are fleeting ; spring always seems the shortest season although the most anticipated. By the calendar, this is the 1st day ,Primavera.

 Though the danger of late frost still lurks in the shadows , it's full speed ahead for garden clean-up.The burnished tones of autumn are long gone, it is no longer fun or even bittersweet to view the sad remains of fall . Verdant green has staked it's claim in the garden , on the hillsides and by the roadside. Under the protective  covering of debris the Fuchsias send out tiny shoots from the base-still vulnerable but exposed none the less. The rubbery textured new rose foliage is shiny, and clean - the glorious moment of beauty before Mr. Blackspot comes calling. Fuzzy Clematis buds seem almost transparent in the sun . Shiny snail trails can be seen approaching favored plants-urgent action is taken to subdue this slimy beast. The flowering trees of early spring are featured prominently in gardens that have the space, alas that is not the case here. One must be content with borrowed vistas, captured with the camera.