SPRING IS BEGINNING TO SPRING.....

 Meanwhile out in the gardens........

this magnificent Hawk  is watching all of the ground level activities.........He had parked himself outside the dinning room window just long enough for me to get a quick shot of him.

The daffodils are pushing their way up to the open air and some are actually getting kissed by the spring time sunshine.   Did you know.......the narcissus bulb which includes jonquils, and paperwhites is a natural deterrent to gophers, deer and rabbits.  I think this is so cool.  Plant them in the fall, and in the spring you get a beautiful surprise.   These bulbs send an out odoriferous fragrant message throughout the ground, that they are toxic.   The toxicity in the bulbs irritate the soft tissue in the mouth and cheeks.  Gophers don't like this, thus hightail it out of the area where these bulbs are planted.  I marvel at natures perfection.

The Quince are in full dress and    bursting like there is no tomorrow.  They are outrageously beautiful this year.   Back in history and lore, the ancient Greeks considered the quinces to be the symbol of fertility and dedicated them to the Goddess of Love.
This one grows next to the Cottage at Bell Hallow.

An Athenian wedding tradition of the ancient Greeks had friends and family tossing quinces into the bridal chariot (look out, incoming) as the groom was escorting his new bride to her new home.  Once they arrived, the bride ate a ceremonial cake flavored with honey and sesame.  To insure fertility, she was then presented a quince.  Oh the folk lore and legends....This quince lives by the pool.  It is so thick with bloom it's hard to imagine there is room enough for anything inside this shrub....however I found it was thick with BUZZING honey bees.

The  Rhododendron are beginning to pop.  I just love the different stages they go through...from the very tight buds,to the open bloom.   There are 27 species that are native to North America. 

The family Ericacea, of which the genus Rhododendron falls, also includes heathers, mountain laurels, blueberries and cranberries as well as manzanita, trailing arbutus, madrone, huckleberry, blueberries and a number of other genus. They are referred to as the KING OF SHRUBS......

Who would have thought...Rhodies are related to blueberries?  Rhodie bud pie....I don't think so.  I wouldn't eat the Rhodie!  

These plants usually bloom in April....and it's only the 1st of March...so there you have it.     We had virtually no winter, and spring is springing early according to the blooms in my garden.  ......It will be interesting to see what the rest of this years seasons do.....

Enjoy your spring everyone.