There’s a subtle beauty to the winter garden in this part of Northern California. The leggy stems of exuberant zinnias are now grey and lying down in the beds, feeding the soil for feathery nigella seedlings and radiant calendula. They are the sunshine of the plant world this time of year, calling my gaze closer to the ground. The coldest days of January still provide enough warmth for the long velvety purple spikes of salvia leucantha to bloom, providing nourishment to the many resident Anna’s hummingbirds as they begin their nesting season, the male breeding plumage appears especially vibrant this year.
