A Cozy walk after the rain brings us Geraniums and Lemons

Funny (not really…) how it seems we didn’t have rain for over a year here in Southern California and then this last week it was torrential every day. I loved it but knew that it was causing lots of people lots of hassles. Nothing cozy about mudslides…..

This past weekend seemed to usher in Spring so Marc and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went on one of our favorite walks in the neighborhood around the Silverlake Resevoir. Lots of gorgeous houses that have beautiful views of the water!

As I have already been fervently working on my geranium garden I was hoping to see lots of lots of really robust plants I could pinch a little cutting from……

Many people think geraniums are boring, normal and even ugly but I’m always charmed by them brightening the window boxes of apartment buildings in Europe, especially Italy. They also have a great smell. My garden, a work in progress, is designed to have big chunks of red next to big chunks of fuschia next to a big chunk of peachy salmon. I have found all these colors and more!

This year I have decided to introduce Nasturtiums into the mix. I love their beautiful greeny-grey leaves and of course the multitude of colors. I found a patch next to the gargage – I think some of them will be much happier in my garden!

I am also working on Mexican Sage, another plant you can pinch and put right into the ground. My success rate has been about 60% but we have a huge plant on the property that doesn’t mind an occassional haircut. Mexican Sage is also called Salvia and somehow with its purple velvety flowers it is often mistaken for lavender.

I have to admit this makes me a little crazy! Mexican Sage is not Lavender! Do not get the two confused. You can SMELL the difference!

So with my hands already full of great new geranium “pinchings”, I even managed to find the perfect lemon which had fallen from a tree and lie in the grass. Thank you whoever, it made my tea delicious this morning!

They say the rain is coming back tomorrow but that’s ok – I’m not sure I’m really ready for Spring anyhow but I know my garden is!