Perhaps said in this way it may seem a bit drastic, but it is the truth. Because these flowers began to bloom just a few days before the arrival of spring, confirming the old saying that the calendar and the weather do not always go hand in hand.
Before September 21, which in this part of the hemisphere marks the beginning of spring, the weather began to change, the temperature began to rise, the north wind began to blow insistently and in accordance with the strength of the full moon began to "wxplode" the buds of the plants and the first flowers began to make their appearance.
This is not without danger for some plants of weaker consistency, because a premature frost in the late winter can ruin much of their vegetative power.
First some little white flowers began to appear on some bushes whose name I have not yet been able to identify, even though I have consulted an encyclopedia of plants that I always have at hand, I have searched through the Internet and even through an app on my cell phone. Of the name that identifies it, so far, no news.
Almost at the same time, geraniums started to bloom. I have two colors in my garden: white and red. With time I learned a technique to prevent them from freezing in the cold of winter (they still grow again in spring and summer but they take longer to bloom).
I repeat: I learned a new (for me) technique to protect them from the cold and keep them green all year round, I protect them with a transparent plastic cover that lets the weak winter rays of the sun pass through without any problem but at the same time protects them from the cold.
In this way, the geraniums - sheltered from walls and walls - remain strong and vigorous and begin to bloom as soon as the temperature begins to rise.
On the other hand, as we know, geraniums are one of the easiest plants to reproduce.
By simply cutting a cutting and planting it in soil we are assured of a new geranium plant.
The zinnia is another very vigorous plant that survives the winter outdoors with minimal protection and blooms right away as soon as spring begins.
The great advantage of this plant is that it reproduces very easily since it develops in a trailing form, at ground level, developing small roots along its entire length.
In this way it is enough to pull out a portion of root, cut it with a scissors so that the plant does not suffer uselessly leaving part of the root exposed and transplant it. It is a plant that has many varieties and the flower is very resistant and lasts several days. To the touch it resembles the consistency of paper which makes it very resistant to pests and temperature variations.
In a short time we will have another beautiful plant in bloom. It is a technique that not everyone knows, despite its simplicity. Sometimes it is necessary to buy a plant in the nursery. But many times that plant can be reproduced in our own garden without any problems.
Finally, I do not want to be ungrateful and thank many of the plants that have provided me with food for my meals throughout the year, such as arugula and that say goodbye to their vegetative life with a small and beautiful white flower that, once dry, turns into several seeds.
It is enough to collect them, let them dry well and sow them again. Practically, rucula gives us those fragrant and tasty leaves that embellish any salad almost all year round. And, at the end of its life, it gratifies us with a flower. Beautiful gesture of nature, isn't it?
Personally I love to mix it with tomato salad for example because it contributes to give it a different flavor with that bitter and spicy taste. Another of my favorite applications is on pizza, when it is practically cooked. We take it out of the oven, put a few leaves of arugula on it, one more minute in the oven and we get a pizza whose fragrance and perfume can be felt from several meters away.
In a few days the fruit trees (citrus) will surely be in bloom with that sweet and penetrating scent of orange blossoms. And a swarm of bees around them. He promises to publish a whole series of photos. It is a truly beautiful spectacle. With that permanent roaring noise of the bees' wings that sounds like a real engine.
Although the garden plants with their beautiful flowers attract our attention because of their undeniable beauty, also the rest of the plants, even if they are big and their main function is only the city trees, feel this true "explosion" of nature and contribute to give birth to buds and shoots that later will become beautiful branches in whose shelter we rest in the sweltering summer days.
On the other hand, these plants, apparently lacking in grace and beauty, constitute the true "green lung" not only of the place where we live but also of the entire planet, since they absorb a large amount of CO2, which is carbon dioxide, transforming it into oxygen.
Several studies carried out in the last years have confirmed their importance as a regulating element of the climate change that is having such harmful consequences all over the world.
They also need an adequate pruning, which they do not always enjoy, not only to beautify the crowns and the city trees, but also to increase their vegetative power and give them a longer life.
Many times their pruning is taken care of by non-expert municipal personnel who use chainsaws and other cutting elements not suitable for small branches, for example, and end up damaging them inexorably.
For this reason it is often said that trees are the lungs of the world, a phrase that contains a great truth and of which many of us have not yet realized its real importance.
Until then friends #hivers garden and orchard lovers!