We spent this morning working in the yard…trimming and nipping and tucking.  Herbs, flowers, citrus and so on and so forth all require tender loving care as the spring progresses into summer.

While I was sweeping paths and picking up leaves D came asking, “how can I help?” My suggestion was, “Go get the camera and take some shots of all these wonderful fuzzy flowers while they last.”  I’d love to be able to paint pictures of the guava and St. John’s wort but I can’t imagine capturing them with any accuracy…so photos will have to do.

Here they are…

St. John’s Wort

Hypericum perforatum: St John’s wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton’s Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed. It was used by Native Americans internally as an abortifacient and externally as an anti-inflammatory, astringent, and antiseptic. St. John’s wort has long been used as a herbal tea and is also a common flavoring agent in Japanese udon noodles. The flowers and stems of Hypericum perforatum have been used to produce red and yellow dyes. Thank you wikipedia.org

Pineapple Guava

Acca sellowiana, a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in New Zealand, and can be found as a garden plant in Australia and Azerbaijan [It does beautifully in our central California garden, too]. Common names include feijoa pineapple guava and guavasteen. It is an evergreen, perennial shrub or small tree, 1–7 meters (3.3–23 ft) in height, widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree. The German botanist Otto Karl Berg named feijoa after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese botanist born in the colony of Brazil. Thank you widipedia.org

These are two of my favorites!  The close-ups will show you why!  The guava is a magnet for every mockingbird in the neighborhood.  They love the pearly white petals.  We tasted one to find out why.  They taste as sweet as honey!  What a show all around!

Hope your day is filled with sweetness too.