While walking the dog this evening, I admired my neighbors’ gardens, which are either colorfully in bloom or fresh and green with the first flush of spring. Kids were out hunting Easter eggs. Aside from the occasional voracious mosquito, it was a perfect spring evening.

I planted two new echinacea varieties today: orange ‘Sunset’ and yellow ‘Sunrise.’ I can’t wait to see how they do. The ‘Razzmatazz’ that I tried a couple of years ago (in full sun) bloomed well the first season but petered out after that. Only one plant survived, and last fall I moved it to a shadier location. It’s coming up this spring, and I hope it will be happier in its new home.

Here are a few images of the front garden, taken at sunset on Easter eve.

Streetside view of my garden

From the sidewalk, looking over the fence, you see roses, guara, purple coneflowers, salvia greggii, and pansies blooming.

Think pink! Salvia greggii (Autumn sage) and Belinda’s Dream roses. The roses are showstoppers this spring.

One of my favorite pairings: roses and spineless prickly pear—Beauty and the Beast. That a rose can co-exist with a cactus illustrates how drought-tolerant these antique roses are.

The Fairy rose’s first blooms—dainty pink roses fading to white

The green glass in the birdbath glowed in the evening light, contrasting with the pink Belinda’s Dream roses

The Duchess of Albany clematis twines gracefully around the fence (newly painted after a long, hot day in the sun)

The Blackfoot daisy spills over the edge of the raised bed that the kids planted, backed by the first yellow flowers of zexmenia. These are very tough, very beautiful xeric plants. Give ’em full sun, good drainage, and very little water and watch them go.