It has been sunny and warm and perfect gardening weather since last Thursday but the forecast says it will rain tomorrow and Saturday and the north wind will return so no more lunches outside for a little while.
All of the trees are now showing their new green leaves and the crab apple and quince have flowers!
The slope is looking very full. Prostrate Rosemary and Teucrium are still flowering, the Muscari are still making a show but are coming to the end of the flowering period, the species Iris are making their presence felt but it is the Eschscholzia californica that are stealing the show, their big floppy flowers looking almost like bright orange tulips. On the slope they are all orange in other parts of the garden numerous other colours make this a versatile choice for any dry garden.
The usual view
Eschscholzia californica with prostrate rosemary, Euphorbia and Stipa tenuissima
Looking up from the gate the view looks much the same
Solanum jasminoides ‘Alba’
Eschscholzia californica with Teucrium and Euphorbia
Eschscholzia californica with species Iris and Cerinthe major in the foreground
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
The orange of your poppies with the deep blue of the iris is stunning, opposites on the colour wheel go so well together. I hope your wind and rain do,’t do any damage and that you are soon back to lunches outside !
Thanks Pauline; I never mind a couple of days of rain as long s it isn’t too heavy; I’ve been watering all the vegetables I’ve planted out and the onions and garlic that have been in the ground since December.
I think the weather forecast for you is heading our way on Sunday, I really like the colour combinations on your slope today, the intensity of the Iris looks lovely with the Eschscholzia. Over here they do not flower at the same time.
Here roses and azaleas flower together sometimes even rhododendrons!
Oh, how lovely! There is so much to see in your garden Christina and I must say you deserve praise for all the hard work you must put into it. And thank you for sharing it all too!
Thank you Cathy, your praise is very kind, but I enjoy everything I do in the garden so it isn’t a hardship.
Perhaps your rain will hold off – it held off here today, although felt damp. Those poppies…!
It would be good if it didn’t rain tomorrow as I have things to do, but otherwise some rain is always welcome.
So much to admire in your spring garden. I was going to mention which is my favorite but they are all. Your irises are such a lovely sight, working together with your other color choices. I’m curious what the little white daisy-like flower is with the golden center.
The daisy is Erigeron, a very easy spreader that flowers for months and months it grows in walls, between steps and needs very little water, I think it would grow well in your climate.
It certainly does look full, even more so after the rain, I’m sure. Having seen the impact that the Californian poppies make I am very tempted to try some.
If your soil is free draining they’ll even self seed for you.
Like a few others above, I think I’ll have a go at the Californian poppies too – they look wonderful with the blue of the irises. Hopefully you’ll get a bit of a dry spell today. Your garden always looks wonderful!
Thank you Cathy, I hope you have fun with the Californian poppies; they come in lots of different colours too, the Thai silk series are beautiful creams, pinks and whites.
I’m an iris lover and those look great! What a nice blend of colors now with the poppies opening.
I’m amazed by how green the slope has become, all of a sudden spring is in full force. Even the stipa looks lush and fresh!
This is probably the best time for the Stipa; I’ve got some colour just coming on one of the bearded Irises too so they won’t be long before they flower – I need it to all slow down a bit.