Renewal

Renewal and vitality have arrived on the navigational winds of Spring, mainly due to the unseasonal rain we were graced with last week. Here in this terrestrial ecoregion known as the California chaparral we tend to get our biggest rainfall in the Autumn. The City of Angels this past Autumn was abysmally bleak of elemental water.

Then, just when things were looking pretty bleak for the Spring blooms and forage for the honey bee, the rains came. Unseasonal and quite welcome, we were graced with April showers. The rain seems to have woken the garden fairies or perhaps washed the dust out of my eyes to perceive them.


All the different native sages in the garden have finally started flowering, while my beloved Apiana (bee) sage and Matilija poppies are starting to grow tall. The wild woodland roses I moved up slope in the Autumn are super happy in their new location. I can tell because they have lots of new siblings from underground runners. The new location, away from the sandstone rocks and Eucalyptus roots has allowed them to stretch their legs. Fingers crossed for some of their beautiful pink flowers later this Spring.

Like last year at this time of year I am seeing lots of volunteer plants most likely due to the increase in visits from the pollinators and local fauna. As instructed by the Theodore Payne Foundation I leave the seed heads on the plants for the birds and trim them off later when they are empty.


In the last year I planted more native sages, some pretty white roses, a helichrysum from Australia (pictured above) and cistus down among where the roses were. Its take the roses some time to get acclimated, unlike the natives that although slow growing adapt perfectly to the difficult clay terrain.


Meanwhile, I have been re-shooting some of the photos of the ever multiplying illuminated perfume collection. Although anyone and everyone seems to call their perfumes "natural" these days, despite what they are made with, I am incorporating a more natural Darwinian feel to some of the imagery. Weaving all my artistic talents to more fully illuminate our natural, botanical world.

Photos ©Roxana Villa