The spectrum

Out back is a riot of color: the White Flower Farm southern mix is really hopping now, with every sort of unnamed sharp yellow, two-tone yellow, white perianth with all sizes and colors of cups, yellow with long orange trumpets, and more, in all sizes and combinations. Alliums and leucojums are peaking. While anemones are now showing up in blue and pink to go with the white ones there all along. Florists' anemones are plain white, red with white, light and dark blue, and fuchsia, everywhere. So far there have been none of the bluish-white ones with blue-black in the middle. Thunbergia is blooming again. In the side yard are pink wood hyacinths, coming in as the blue ones are going to join the grape hyacinths. There are still hyacinths, side and front, but all various shades of blue or pink, with no white or creamy or buttery ones, at least so far. Asclepias puts forth new leaves, and the all-yellow one has not stopped blooming all winter. Thunbergia is blooming. Geraniums are top-heavy with red. There are now three colors of left-over nasturtiums in pots: buttery, brindled red-brown, and a semi-streaky orange. All these are the trailing kind. The flowering pear is coming along so that both it and redbuds will be showy and still without leaves together.