This is such a fabulous time of year! It seems that the entire word is in bloom or about to bloom.
The Siberian Iris, above, and the one below, are around my pond. I was lucky to capture them with raindrops still fresh on their petals.
Right now shrubs are taking center stage in my yard. In another week or two it will be roses and peonies (I hope.)
This is one of my favorites and every year it appears here. This is a deutzia, Chardonnay Pearls. The closeup is below.
When I took this photo, there were little beetles in some of the flowers. Not quite sure if they were pollinators or not but after last year’s “poisoning,” I am grateful for any life that I see!
This is a kolkwitzia amablilis called Dream Catcher. It took quite some time to grow to its full potential. Now I have to stand in the street to take its photo.
This is the closeup of its flowers.
And this is the lovely clump of chives growing right beneath it. It makes a great combination.
This is spirea media Double Play Blue Kazoo. Its foliage is supposed to have a bluish cast to it, but it’s in more shade than it should be so it shows up as more green. Still, I am not complaining. This is one of the plants that almost got wiped out by weed killer last year in the great poisoning, so I am grateful that it’s alive at all.
This is the flower, closeup.
By next week, at some point, there should be a whole different set of glorious plants in bloom. This is a great time of year in the garden!
Gardendaze 
Except for the chives, these are plants that we do not grow. We can grow them, they are just uncommon here. There are certainly more plants that should be more popular here because they use less water and are so well adapted to our climate, but I can not understand why those who waste so much water and are not concerned with the climate here do not at least grow some of these pretty things. I mean, we waste water on things that are no prettier than the desert plants that would not be so consumptive. Prettier plants might be worth allocating a bit of extra water to.
Oh, Tony, the water thing. I know California just had its worst drought in history–& may be at the beginning of another. But even here, a couple of years ago, we had a multiyear drought. And my durned fool neighbors– who water grass twice a day and don’t even have moisture sensors on their sprinkler systems so they’re out there watering away in the rain! refused to stop. It was enough to make you want to cry. People don’t understand how precious water is. It’s heartbreaking.
Karla