Seasonal Changes-A Vista of Color

Throughout the year, Mother Nature offers a splendid view of colors, textures and beauty as each season changes into the next. The focus of this article is to display a few of the awesome views that exist here in Sacramento, California throughout the year. 

Being able to take advantage of these short lives vistas is quite a pleasure. It is my hope that people will be inspired to slow down their hectic lives and literally smell the roses. Sometimes in life, it is the little things that we remember with fond vividness. A romantic walk throughout the neighborhood, a blossom shared where lingering thoughts bring two people closer together. Those are the things in life that matter... at least to me. Please enjoy! 

Spring is a magical time of year. It is certainly one of my favorite times. What I love about spring is the change in the air. This is a time of year when hope fills the air as the dreary days of winter begin to warm and blossom into blue skies and sunny days. This is the time of year when the tiny flowers emerge. Expect to find little white daisy's about and tiny flowers that are both fragile and old fashioned. They possess a charm that rivals some of the larger blooms of summer. Spring is also a time of fruit blossoms. The fragrant flowers of fruit trees can be subtle or overpowering, either way, the effect is an awesome feast for the eyes and a delight for the nose. 

Summer is the warm extension of Spring. This is the time of year when the flowers are in full production and the beautiful bounty of summer can be seen from every angle. Summer flowers are intense, bold and fragrant. Their singular purpose of attracting pollinators forces them to vie for attention. They happily comply by producing beautiful colors and awesome fragrances that waft upon the summer breeze. Enjoy the beauty of summer by planting sunflowers, dahlia, and nasturtiums around your yard. Summer flowers such as Alysium and Lobelia make excellent container flowers for those of us who have smaller spaces. 

Fall is the end of Summer and like all grand exhibits the finale goes off with a bang. The color of the trees alone is enough to take your breath away, but fall flowers are just as magnificent as any other seasons offering of color. Mums for example love the fall temperatures and the occasional rain shower. Here in Sacramento, California, we are privileged to enjoy warmer winters that help to extend the summers bounty into the fall months. Fall is like a kaleidoscope of color and texture. The seed pods from some plants are unique and fascinating.  Mix in the complete color pallet offered by the trees as their leaves turn and fall, and the beauty of fall emerges. 

Winter is not only the end of the year and the end of Summer blooms but it is also the beginning. The beauty of winter is so vastly different than it is most other times of the year. For me, winter is a season of texture. The bare branches against the cold blue sky and the Clouds that form create wonderful epic vistas that take advantage of that vast blue canvas we call the sky. Winter is a time for reflections as lakes and streams become mirrors that reflect back the beauty of the season. Just when the cold has driven you mad, you happen upon the first daffodil and hope seeps into your veins as spirits lift and spring becomes but a heartbeat away.