Saturday, April 11, 2009

Pink Saturday - Pink spring flowers

Pink Saturday - Beverly, at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you!

Here in Southern California, spring has arrived. Our gardens are blooming with spring flowers, and many of them are PINK!

In Topanga, where I live, the climbing version of the rose Cecile Brunner blooms in older yards - it has been passed from gardener to gardener over the decades, grown from slips and cuttings.

Here's a fence grown over with blooming shrubs - this is just a short walk from my house. The flowers are wonderful right now.

In Southern California our native plants bloom in the spring, before the heat of summer causes them to hunker down for survival.

These are the delicate pale pink blossoms of the native manzanita, little bell-shaped flowers. They grow in our Santa Monica Mountains, and are in bloom right now.

Another pink blossomed native is the Redbud, or Cercus. The Eastern Redbud, that is well known in the South and in Appalachian states, is Cercus canadensis, but here in the west, our native Redbud is Cercus occidentalis.


In my front garden right now, the Douglas irises and Pacific Coast Hybrid Irises are beginning to bloom. They come in a wide variety of colors, from blue to white to yellow to crimson. One of the prettiest is a beautiful red-violet, almost magenta selection.

Here is a similar iris planted with bronze fennel and red succulents, in a native garden I toured last weekend.

Scotch broom, and selected varieties of it are wonderful this spring. You have to be careful of some of the brooms, because they can be invasive. This selection, called "Lilac Time," is safe to grow without worrying about it affecting the native environment. It's also a subtly beautiful ever-changing color, ranging from pink to violet to purple to warm beige as the flowers develop and age.

Californians enjoy growing tender plants, like Abutilon, or Flowering Maple, in their gardens and in pots as specimens. They are in bloom right now. Here is one in a tender salmon pink color, growing along the canal walkways in Venice. How delicate they are.

Don't forget this guy - a big ole caterpillar, probably a swallowtail larva, fattening himself up in a parking strip garden of clarkia and poppies. He surely does appreciate the spring flowers, because they nurture him for his coming metamorphosis!

Wherever you live, there must be wonderful places to see spring flowers. Spend this weekend finding the places to see the blossoms of spring - and especially enjoy the pink ones!

48 comments:

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Good lord, and snow flurries predicted for Ithaca's Easter....

Amy @ Keep'n The SunnySide said...

Wow.... gorgeous!

Woman in a Window said...

I can't help but not want to press my nose to those flowers and inhale. God, that's gotta be sweet!

KBeau said...

You have such beautiful flowers in California. I'm jealous.

Tristan Robin said...

what a really fabulous garden you have!!!

I'm so envious of your Spring - we are down in the high 30's with rain expected for the whole weekend.

Not so great for Easter bonnets!

dana said...

Happy Pink Saturday!!!

I so enjoyed your spring stroll and the lovely flowers you are so lucky to have around you! Ours (in Missouri) are just starting to bloom! Tulips, daffodils, red buds, etc..

I LOVED your post about your Aunt Snow. What a woman!!! What a great life she lead. Thank you for sharing that!

Hope you have a wonderful Easter! Dana

Valerie said...

Thank you for providing some spring inspiration...it just has to get warm sometime...please?!!!

Thanks for dropping by and leaving your kind comments.

By the way...love the caterpillar pic! I used to teach 3rd grade and metamorphosis is one of our Kansas science curriculum concepts. We study the life cycle of the monarch. My kiddos would have been fascinated by your pic!

Blessings to you from the Heartland,
Valerie

Betzie said...

Gorgeous pink flowers..thanks for sharing! Love the little bell shaped ones. Happy Spring and Happy Easter too!

LaVerne said...

Thanks for the Pink Saturday visit and especially thanks for the beautiful pictures...Your flowers are amazing...I am listening to the doves outside this morning. They come two by two and enjoy the sunflower seeds in our feeder. We had a pair nesting in a bouganvilla one spring and Hubby was like a proud grandpa. Hope your week is Pink from start to finish. LaVerne in Texas

Anonymous said...

gorgeous flowers, I love this time of year for flowers. Happy Easter Sara

Dru said...

What beautiful flowers - I love Cecile Brunner roses, but up here I have not been able to get it blooming yet - we live in a very cold climate. I'm going to move it this spring to I hope a better location so it will bloom. Have a very Happy Pink Saturday and Easter

LisaJanelle said...

Happy Pink Saturday! I am a big jeolous of warmer weather and flowers your way...Spring is right around the corner in Nebraska!...Thanks for stopping by my blog....Happy Easter to your family from mine :)

bj said...

Oh, sister friend, I can't believe how beautiful it is already in S. Cal. Out here in West Texas, we are just dying for RAIN...everything is so dry..the winds are blowing like crazy and dust, dirt, sand is blowing with it. Spring in West Texas is our WORST month...then, come summertime, we have some beautiful days...never as pretty as yours, tho..
Happy Easter!!

bj said...

I said "worst month" but meant to add an s on "month"...;O)

♥Mimi♥ said...

♥A lovely and purr-fect Pink Saturday blog post. During this most holy time of the year I am wishing you rainbows, gracious days, dewdrop nights and the love of friends and family to comfort you and hold you close.♥

Stephanie said...

Your photos are wonderful! Bring on the SPRING!!

Happy Pink Saturday! Happy Easter!

Betty said...

Beautiful pictures! I live in central California and everything is blooming here too. It is my favorite time of year!
Have a wonderful pink weekend!

Michelle said...

We had another blizzard last weekend and I need to see more blooming flowers!

Have a great Pink Saturday and Happy Easter!

Country Romantic said...

You are right about what you said on my blog, the flowers are busting out all over. :)

Your redbud tree is really pretty and your roses too. I really like flowering trees.

Happy Pink Saturday

Katherine

Suzie Button said...

Your spring flowers are amazingly beautiful and lifted my heart this Easter weekend! Happy Pink Saturday! Suzie

Anonymous said...

Yep...she's my little Sparklebutt. Happy Easter and Pink Saturday G. Your flowers are gorgeous. I didn't realize there were two different types of red buds. Our red buds in the woods are at their height of bloom right now. Along with the white dogwoods it's spectacular. :)

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Oh my, those pink blossoms are pretty! So pretty! Thanks for sharing and enjoy your Pink Day. Have a beautiful Easter too.

Blessings,
Sandi

Sandra said...

You are so lucky to be where it's Spring and to have such beautiful flowers. Thank you for sharing it, esp with those of us in the still cold Midwest.

Have a super weekend!

Claudia said...

Gorgeous photos of pink flowers. I especially love the Cecile Brunner roses - they are exquisite! Happy Pink Saturday!

Lisa said...

How Lovely!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Happy Easter!
Hugs, Lisa

Deanna said...

What a bevy of beautiful blossoms! I especially loved the Manzanita. I'd never seen it before!

¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Happy Pink Saturday
and a Blessed Easter!
Deanna :D

Linda said...

Happy Pink saturday! What lovely flowers you have posted, I love California....wish I were there now to see all that pretty pinkness!

Linda

shrink on the couch said...

Oh those pale pink roses are so pretty, so romantic.

KatCollects said...

Beautiful flowers, I can't wait for my flowers to start blooming here. Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Easter.
Kathy

Eclectic Chic Style said...

Absolutely beautiful pink flowers!!!
Happy Pink Saturday!!
♥ Teresa

Katie said...

Happy Pink Saturday! Love the flowers so much. C. Bruner is my fav of the pink roses, followed by The Fairy and then, the tea rose Bewitched! Just lovely!

Briget said...

Nothing pink out in Cincinnati yet, except the very beginnings of the redbud. It's still yellow and white time, with a purple hyacinth here and there...

Jenny said...

Such pretty flowers! Thank you for sharing as my thumb is black and pictures are all I can not kill!! hehehe!!

SmilingSally said...

You have so many lovely things blooming.

Dawn said...

Oh my! I'm at least two weeks from spring! Daffy's are just now poking their heads out, lucky you to have so much beauty. Happy PS and Easter.

Amy said...

Such lovely pinks. I wish I could have a garden filled with flowers like those. Especially the roses!

amy@maisonbelle

Nancy said...

I always learn something NEW when I read your blog. Just loved those flowers. Have a wonderful Easter....:)Nancy

Sit-N-Chat said...

So many pretty pink -- just growing up all around you. How sweet. Beautiful pictures.

Have a wonderful Resurrection Celebration.
Jennifer

Christine said...

We only have dafodils and forsythis blooming now. It'll be over a month before I see my roses. Your pictures are beautiful!!!

Happy Pink Saturday!

Blessings,
Christine

Bumble Bee Cottage said...

What lovely pink blooms - my son loved the caterpilla!

Susie Jefferson said...

Isn't Mother Nature wonderful - these flowers are gorgeous!

Happy Pink Saturday & a very Happy Easter!

Kris said...

oweeeeee' wow!! Look at all those lovely pink flowers. The bell shaped flower is my favorite.

Have a happy day

Kris

Maison Douce said...

Beautiful flowers!!! Have a wonderful Easter!!
Isabel

Jason, as himself said...

G, you have such an eye and a wealth of knowledge to go along with it!

These photos are fantastic.

Char said...

Your blooms are to die for. Just perfect in every way, I love the fence of roses, romantic and gorgeous, Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Easter too, Char

Elyse said...

what beautiful roses!!!

happy belated pink saturday & happy easter, too!

HiHo said...

will still be weeks before flowers here...enjoy them.
happy pink, Heidi

Anonymous said...

I've had such a busy weekend, so I'm here a few days late. Anyway..

Happy belated Pink Saturday! X Es X