Spring

Blessed with the opportunity of escaping the grey and cold,to warmer climes,there are reasons why we choose to go in late March,early April.One of the main reasons is that we get to celebrate N.G's birthday while there (more on that later),but also, we know that we have gotten over the worst of winter.Even though our winter was relatively tame this years,
our friends to the south of us got it..

BIG TIME!
(above, Honeysuckle, our pride since it is only 2 yrs.old)
Below(R) Lilly of the Valley
and (L) SedumWe have been lucky this year to return to sunny and warm spring weather allowing for the inevitable re-entry to be somewhat more bearable after the last 2 weeks away.
(above clematis as well as grasses that we hope will return...early days yet)

The above shots were taken shortly after our return.The forsythia is unfortunately not ours,but all the rest are from our balcony that is blessed with a western exposure.Which is a good thing,in the spring, in the blasting heat of summer...well maybe not so great.Because of these extremes finding plants that will survive on the balcony has been a challenge.These are cuttings from a plant(now 3 yrs old) that we take indoors in the fall,that does amazingly well given the circumstances."Purple heart" is perfect for our situation and can be left on it's own(ie:should we forget to water) and can stay out til late in the season.The best is that it roots easily and therefore all we need to do is take cuttings for the mother plant every spring and were all set.