Digital Dirt    March 12, 2003

Could It Be Spring?

Melianthus major Yes, it is that blue! View the photo gallery

March is turning out to be a real challenge. February had so many glorious, promising, sunny days, I'd forgotten it wouldn't keep. Now the skies are flat and gray, the air is damp and chilly, and we've got drizzle, pour, and the user-friendly spritz. Meanwhile, a voice in my head says, forget it, Jake, it's Portland. That would explain why it's noon and I'm still in pajamas...

The garden, however, is full of good news and promise. This will be my third spring here, and some plants have really settled in. When I bought my fabulous Acacia pravissima -- with its miniature, triangular, shovel-like leaves -- it was knee-high. Today, it's blooming wads of yellow wands and is on its way to two stories high. Acacia's one of those invasive genera you have to be careful with (particularly in California), but here it can be enjoyed without guilt, since one bad winter and it's history.

Something else that is a dime a dozen in California, but a source of great pleasure for me, is the the burgundy-leaved Dodonea outside my front steps. It's used on highways in the Golden State because the last thing it does is turn heads. But the plum color is sumptuous right about now, sending out radiant heat, while I'm otherwise chilled to the bone.

The neighborhood's iris, crocus, hyacinth and early daffs are up, but my tulips are at least a month away, so in the meantime I'm consoling myself with -- big surprise -- foliage. Right now, the blades of the iris-like Libertia from New Zealand are at their most orange, and if I do say so myself (try and stop me), they play beautifully against the stems of my contorted what's-it-called (we gardeners call it winter brain). Seriously, though, once you see the contorted shrub's picture, let me know if you know its name. Free copy of my book to the first right answer!

            

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