Where the Sinapis arvensis grows

The fields and open spaces in West Sacramento are filled with a profusion of wild mustard each spring. To cuddle up in these bright yellow flower blankets as a kid always made me so happy!

Beautiful Yucca in bloom

This beautiful Yucca was blooming in full splendor on West Capitol Avenue in front of Carol's Restaurant yesterday. I love the landscaping in our beautiful city!

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Debbie's Hydrangea is beginning to bloom...soon these blossoms will turn beautiful shades of pink and purple. You can have beautifully dried hydrangeas by allowing them to dry on the plant before picking them. Experiment with harvesting from August through October.

Flower of the Month: California Poppy

West Sacramento is enjoying the California Golden Poppies in bloom this year in the landscaping along Jefferson Boulevard. The blooming period for this poppy generally is April- August and each night or in overcast weather these brilliant flowers close waiting for the sun to show their full glory.
Trivia: California poppy leaves were used medicinally by Native Americans, and the pollen was used cosmetically. The seeds are used in cooking.

A Charming Community Garden

Thanks Oscar Villegas for sharing this photo of a unique community garden in West Sacramento. This garden can be found along the "main drain" canal trail near Venice Drive...Dina Kirtley says a group of neighborhood volunteers in that area do the planting and maintenance. http://www.maindrainparkway.com/Home

Ornamental Red Sunflower

"The reason that the red sunflower is so special is that that it does not occur in the wild. The red sunflower is a result of breeding flowers so that they will gain unique and dramatic ornamental qualities."
Thank you Anneke for sharing the beautiful specimen.

The pleasures of summer..in West Sacramento

West Sacramento's climate is perfect for many summer pleasures..especially a beautiful backyard garden bouquet.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Delicious heirloom tomatoes are thriving in Kurt and Christy's organic garden.
Christy is a master at creating fresh salsa, bruschetta and pasta sauce using the fresh herbs and vegetables from their bounty. Since the arrival of our grandchildren, our family has fashioned a tradition of gathering at our house for Sunday supper most weeks...and enjoying the fresh garden vegetables that are in season is wonderful.

Sunflower Patch on I-80

This beautiful sunflower patch is located just west of the Yolo Causeway. ~ Barbara

Trivia: "When the plant is in the bud stage, it tends to track the movement of the sun across the horizon. Once the flower opens into the radiance of yellow petals, it faces east. No one knows why. However, it is likely a defensive response. Facing south or west could result in sun-scalding of seeds during very hot days."

"Independence Day" Red Hibiscus in Bloom

This beautiful hibiscus is blooming in my front yard. ~Debbie

4th of July fireworks celebrations will be canceled in many areas due to the fire conditions in California and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked Californians to refrain from buying personal fireworks this year. With the price of gas being so expensive, I expect many folks will also refrain from travel. ~Barbara

Vanda Gordon Dillon's

Christy captured this photo of the beautiful Gordon Dillon Vanda Orchid while she was on a recent work-vacation hiatus at the fabulous all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real Resort located on legendary Bávaro Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Oh to have a job that requires you to visit this Caribbean paradise...~ Barbara

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Charline stopped to bury her nose in the beautiful hydrangea "pom-pom"on her last day of Kindergarden--....~Christy

'Stop and smell the flowers', is a saying that is really not related to flowers at all. It is a reminder, a message, for each of us, to stop rushing, stop working late, time passes quickly. Stop and enjoy the day, the moment and the minute. Each minute that you miss, is time lost and will not return to you again.

Alstroemeria: Inca Lily

This Alstroemeria ( Inca Lily )is blooming in my flowerbed. ~ Barbara

Flower Dolls: Remembering Days Past

When my sister and I were little kids our grandparents had a remarkable flower garden and they would let us pick the flowers and buds to make flower dolls. We would assemble the flower dolls using a tooth pick to hold them together. Hollyhocks buds were our favorite to use for the doll head, and the dresses ranged from petunias, roses, marigolds, pansies, hollyhocks and whatever else might in bloom. We had such great imaginations and could play for hours creating our many characters for "Flower Doll Adventures". ~ Barbara

Roses on Southport Parkway

Anneke Moresco shot this photo of the beautiful roses blooming on the median of Southport Parkway. Thanks for sharing Anneke. ~Barbara

The Flowering Maple

Abutilon hybridum-- looks very much like an eyeball to me....~Barbara

Our Busy Bees

Last weekend I used my new telephoto lens to catch these busy bees as they worked to collect the sweet offerings from my potato vine flowers.
~Barbara

The Orange Freesia

I was browsing around the new Lowe's Garden Center on Saturday and found this absolutely fabulous Orange Freesia. ~Barbara

Yellow on Yellow

This photo of the yellow fire hydrant gazing over the clusters of yellow mustard was actually shot in Woodland across the street from the County Courthouse.
~Barbara

April 6 was California Poppy Day

West Sacramento is enjoying the California Golden Poppies in bloom this year in the landscaping along Jefferson Boulevard. The poppy was selected as the state flower by the California State Floral Society in December 1890 and April 6th of each year is designated "California Poppy Day".

Trivia: California poppy leaves were used medicinally by Native Americans, and the pollen was used cosmetically. The seeds are used in cooking. Extract from the California poppy acts as a mild sedative when smoked.
~ Barbara