What’s with all these false starts this spring? Warm and sunny one week, downright cold with drenching rains the next. If cool spring weather has kept you from planting your vegetable garden, don’t worry. As night and soil temperatures warm, newly planted starts and seeds will grow quickly.

San Lorenzo Valley students and the SLV Rotary Club served 325 people March 24 at a benefit dinner to help survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.

Every spring, while driving Highway 280 on the way to the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, I enjoy the beautiful combination of Western redbuds blooming vivid fuchsia alongside electric blue ceanothus flower clusters. It’s a sight that always excites me. In early spring there are many other plants that bloom at the same time, creating colorful vignettes. Here are some of my favorites that I’ve used: