Garden Photo of the Day

Jewels of the Spring Landscape

By Kim Charles

Crabapple with its rosy pink flower buds, that open to nearly white blooms. It develops 1/2 inch diameter bright red fruits that remain on the tree into winter. Foliage changes from medium green to orange in the fall.

Irvin and Pauline Faria from California share with us, the beauty of spring.

"With these photos we want to share and celebrate with fellow gardeners the beauty of spring in our garden. From afar our flowing crabapple at the garden entrance announces the beauty of a new spring. Its red buds among flossy green leaves open to aromatic blossoms. At this moment in time other flowing jewels of the landscape are in full display.
Best wishes for a nice spring, Irvin & Pauline Faria, Pauline’s Garden, Carmichael, CA"

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The crabapple blossoms that appear in spring and summer can have single, double or semi-double flowers. The centers of crabapple flowers have yellow stamens. Some crabapples bloom profusely only every other year. 

Katsura's orange spring color is the most beautiful of the Japanese maples.

Witch hazels perform best when planted in moist but well drained, loamy acidic soil. Flowering is most profuse when the trees are grown in full sun and mulched to keep its roots cool.

Loropetalum flowers

Lily-of-the-Valley shrub, Pieris japonica, shows its cascading white, pink or red flowers. It grows and flowers best in full sun.

Front to rear: Cordyline, Kocho no mai (Butterfly Japanese maple). Redbud, Acer palmatum Japanese maple

Brick mailbox shrouded by heavenly bamboo (Nandina) known for its lance shaped leaves and colorful foliagae, heavenly bamboo is a frost hardy, semi-evergreen shrub with attractive textural and colorful characteristics. Birds are attracted to the clumps of bright red berries.

Shindeshojo Japanese maple opens spring with its crimson scarlet foliage. In mid-summer the foliage turns a pleasant reddish-green. Then in fall, the color becomes blends of red and orange.

Lorapetalum, native to China, Japan and the Himalayas, is an evergreen shrub with dark foliage and profuse fuchsia-like flowers. It is a great early spring flowering plant and is sun and drought tolerant.

Katsura Japanese maple is the first maple in our garden to show its beautiful orange spring color.

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Comments

  1. deeinde 04/19/2017

    Your gardens are beautiful as always, Irvin and Pauline! Thank you for sharing your beautiful spring colors! Your photography is exquisite as well.

  2. frankgreenhalgh 04/19/2017

    Hi Pauline & Irvin - Thank you for sharing your outstanding spring garden with fellow gardeners. The colour combinations, descriptions and photography are excellent. Cheers from Oz

  3. User avater
    meander_michaele 04/19/2017

    Looks like you are having a beautiful spring with flowering buds and emerging foliage filling your much loved garden with wonderful color. I hope your part of CA has been on the receiving end of the rains that have eased much of the drought conditions for the state.

  4. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 04/19/2017

    Always pure delight to see more of your garden throughout the seasons, Irvin and Pauline! Thanks so much including names and cultural information. It's very helpful. I was drawn in by the Japanese lantern and beautifully placed cobalt pots in the first photo and scrolled onward through the photos to start my day with this lovely tour. Thanks.

  5. user-4691082 04/19/2017

    Wow, wow, and wow! What else is there to say?

  6. User avater
    JaninaG 04/19/2017

    Thank You, beautiful, thanks for the names, season and climate info, Pleasure to look at and get ideas easily... Blessings.... Love Asian folaige

  7. VikkiVA 04/19/2017

    Irvin and Pauline, your pictures of springtime in your paradise are magazine worthy. You have skillfully selected plants and location to provide for a beautiful scene. Thanks for sharing your talent. Vikki in VA

  8. LaurelEm 04/19/2017

    Your garden is entrancing! That shot from your mailbox would just make anyone want to walk in and look at the gardens!

  9. annek 04/19/2017

    Beautiful, Irvin and Pauline. In addition to enjoying the gorgeous photographs, I always learn something from your posts. I didn't know some crab apples are superstars biennially. You've created a garden of Eden!

  10. cynthiamccain 04/19/2017

    So envious of your loropetalum and Katsura maple! Thanks for sharing these photos of your gorgeous garden, and also for providing names of the plants.

  11. sheila_schultz 04/19/2017

    Looking at some of your springtime beauties is a perfect start to my day. Thank you, Irvin and Pauline, for continuing to share the wonders outside your windows!

  12. NCYarden 04/19/2017

    Exquisite, Irvin and Pauline. I am always captivated by the Japanese maples - my favorites. Katsura is such a grand tree for early Spring. So many beautiful things to look at in your garden. Thanks for sharing.

  13. Sunshine111 04/19/2017

    Gorgeous Garden, gorgeous photos, lovely narrative with each photo! thank you so much for sharing

  14. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 04/19/2017

    Good morning Irvin and Pauline. I must admit that I get my coffee made a little faster when I see that it's your garden that I'll be sitting down to view. Your Katsura maple is outstanding. We have one that we moved from sun to part sun last year and have been rewarded by much richer color this spring. Do you know if the Lorapetalum is deer resistant as that is a shrub that we may have to add. As usual, you've presented us with a feast for our winter weary eyes. Thanks for sharing.

  15. bsavage 04/19/2017

    Always exciting to see a post from you Irvin & Pauline! Your gardens are so beautiful, and with so much diversity! Love it all!

  16. tennisluv 04/19/2017

    Irvin & Pauline, your garden is lovely. I especially love the pops of blue that you have dropped in that just bring out the colors and textures of all your plants. I must say, I had never thought to limb up a loropetalum; so, I have avoided using the larger varieties in my landscape. Have you tried the green varieties with white blossoms ? I look forward to seeing more of your garden. Thanks for sharing.

  17. schatzi 04/19/2017

    It's a joy to see your ever gorgeous garden. The Lorapetalum is spectacular. Deer-proof? The J. maples are beautiful as always. Thank you for the full descriptions. Happy Spring! Altho here in the PNW, I have started referring to April as Mar-vember (!) due to the cool temps and rain rain rain... Altho we did have a lovely Easter weekend to tease us.

  18. user-7007498 04/19/2017

    Thanks for sharing photos of your lovely garden, Irvin and Pauline. Brightened my day. Spring has finally arrived in the Mid-Atlantic, although today is cloudy and only 52 for a high.

    I so love your Japanese maples. They add so much beauty and character to the landscape year round. The Katsura is fantastic.

    I have never seen Loropetalum (not hardy for me)so it was areal treat. Loved the color.

  19. User avater
    vanhatalosuomi 04/19/2017

    Lovely garden spaces. Very colorful and diverse selections of flowering bushes and trees. Thanks for sharing the pictures & narrative.

  20. Maggieat11 04/19/2017

    Outstanding, as usual. Always such a pleasure to see photos of your gardens... and appreciate the text as well! Those Maples are wonderful! And what a welcoming entranceway to your property! Thanks for sharing!

  21. chelleisdiggin 04/20/2017

    Thank you so much for sharing your lovely garden, Irvin and Pauline. I can't pick out one photo that I like better than the other. I especially appreciate your description on each one.

  22. anitaberlanga 04/21/2017

    what a glorious garden!

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