Flower Power Season

I love planting flowers. Love. I sit out in the sun, on the warm grass, with a dog or two by my side and dig my hands in soil. My yard isn't really landscaped, so I focus mostly on creating arrangements in flower pots. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. And I love when everything starts to bloom and the bees visit, the spiders stay, and little snakes live beneath salvia.

This is a western ground snake. They are nocturnal so unearthing this one (and a second one beneath a different pot) was quite a shock for her. She was easy to move, and after I finished potting, I  put her and her buddy back under their respective flower pots. They eat centipedes and as I hate centipedes but don't kill them, I support my local western ground snake population.

 Begonias are gorgeous little shrubs, so I bought a couple. They have this beautiful fairy dust on their petals.

 Since moving to the sierra foothills, I've admired the columbine that has been sold. I never bought any. This year, I bought two plants because I can. They are pretty.

And my salvia is coming back and ready for bees to pollinate. I hope to see as many bees as I did last year. My lavender plant died, so the two salvia plants have to pick up the slack.

And this is who kept me company, big 'ol Carter.