Here’s A Sneak Peek Into My Spring Flower Garden

I typically start planting my flower and edible gardens the last week of February. Due to the nonstop precipitation here in California, however, I am behind schedule. It’s been so rainy and cold that I’ve just allowed the plants around the house to grow wild since November with the exception of pulling a few weeds near my succulents and roses about a month ago. But now that the rain has finally let up and the soil around the house is no longer waterlogged – I can get back to gardening 🙌🏽 which is exactly what I did this past Sunday! I put my focus on the small flower bed in the front yard and got to work. It truly felt great to get my hands dirty, bask in the sunshine, and plant again!

HERE ARE THE BEFORE PHOTOS OF MY OVERGROWN FLOWER BED

HERE’S WHAT I REMOVED FROM THE BED

• A random ice plant that appeared out of nowhere and overtook more than half of the flower bed due to the onslaught of rain.
• Dead Snapdragons [Antirrhinum ] that had no intention of returning this season
• Some dead roots of a Silver Ragwort plant aka Dusty Miller [Senecio cinerari ]
• Plenty of weeds in the form of Shamrock aka Sourgrass aka Wood Sorrel [Oxalis ]
• Dead leaves and twigs from the Jacaranda that hangs above the flower bed

HERE’S WHAT I KEPT IN THE BED

• 1 already blooming Snapdragon that returned from last year
• 1 already blooming Hoary Stock [ Matthiola incana ] that has survived for over two years
• 2 Silver Ragwort plants that I significantly pruned back and have also survived for over two years
• The existing dirt that I fully tilled before adding nearly a whole bag of Organic Plus Raised Bed and Potting Mix into the soil

HERE’S WHAT I PLANTED

I was on the hunt for some snapdragons, but my local Ace only had giant or single plants available. They didn’t have any six-packs which is my normal springtime flower purchase. After years of experimenting with various species of flowers, I have learned that snapdragons do the best in my garden. At least half survive the summer heat and come back the following year, even sometimes two years later since they are indeed a perennial despite their delicate nature. However, since I couldn’t find any affordable, young snapdragons I ended up purchasing the following florals this year.

• 2 Icelandic Poppy plants [ Papaver nudicaule ] featuring delicate, wispy blooms in bright red, yellow, orange, and white.
• 12 Alyssum plants featuring tiny, neat blooms in violet, purple, and lavender.

I am confident that both species of flowers will spread nicely and soon fill up the bed with additional blooms as we progress through the spring and into summer. I’ll post an update at the end of May with new photos so you can all see how much the Alyssum has grown.

Last but not least – the moment you’ve all been waiting for – it’s time to…

TAKE A LOOK AT MY NEWLY PLANTED FLOWER BED

Please note that we had 48 hours of very strong wind here in Southern California immediately after I finished working which is why there are plenty of freshly fallen Jacaranda leaves in the garden bed. My newly planted poppies took quite a beating, and I lost three blooms. 😭 Despite this small setback – the flower bed, although simple, looks much better now than it did a few days ago, and I am thrilled. 🙂 Hopefully, I will find some time to tackle the herb and vegetable garden next weekend.

Have you already planted your spring flower garden? What about an edible garden?

Please let me know in the comments below as I’d love to find out which flower species, fruits, veggies, and herbs thrive in your climate.

Until then…

Happy Gardening!