Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Golden Currant and Two-toned Daffodils

First blooms in 2014 on the two-toned daffodils in the front garden on February 18. The golden current (Ribes aureum) in the back garden began blooming on February 17.

[Update: The dwarf flowering peach in the garden began blooming this year on February 21. The dwarf nectarine began blooming on February 27.]

Plants I'm Growing: Just Because It's Pretty

Nothing much to report, really, but the back garden was very pretty in the rain today--another 1.5 inches fell last night and nearly another three quarters today. Visible in the photo are two varieties of rosemary in bloom, the golden currant (Ribes aureum) that recently started blooming  (back left), the dwarf nectarine (pink), the dwarf peach (darker pink, mostly obscured by the foreground tree), and Daphne odorata. The tree is a coral bark Japanese maple "Sangokaku." Also visible is the stone wall at the back of the yard. Beyond the wall are the grape vines, but they are hard to see in this view. The beehive is clearly visible in the middle of the picture, against the wall.

Just because it was pretty today in the rain.

Plants I'm Growing: Ribes Aureum (Golden Flowering Currant) 2009

First blossoms today on the golden currant at the back of the house, near the beehive--earlier than usual, I think--but it's been warm and everything is ahead of the season. I'm afraid the fruit trees will bloom early this year and then get hit by frost. We'll see.