Sweet, Sensational and Sassy Portola District, SF

Gardening in Northern California can be quite a challenge for someone like me who grew up in the tropics. I expect my blooms to be a riot of vivid colors that hibiscuses display in the intense summer heat of the tropics, the intense, heady smells of frangipanes that could thrive only in the hottest and sunniest days of the equatorial paradise. But after decades of foggy days and misty mornings in SF, i realized that one can also grow a garden filled with subtly scented gorgeous beauties like the ones I tend to in my backyard below. Fuchsias are the easiest to grow, same with honeysuckles and jasmines . Roses can be finicky, for they require a lot of water and plenty of sunshine! Whatever it takes, gardening replenishes the spirit and brightens my mood each and every day! Vive les fleurs!