My Garden is Barely Emerging from the Winter Doldrums
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years ago
I don't live that far from Lisa, but being much higher, on the sunny side of a stony, sun-drenched hill, which is also somewhat cooler in the winter, I have very little to show yet. So here I am, showing you what I don't have. It's still much better than you poor easterners, who are digging out of the snow in April, which is just plain mean. Who knew that global warming only meant a large part of the globe, but by no means all of it?
The tree behind the sea lavender is a dwarf crape myrtle that has barely begun to put out little leaflets.
Bermuda Kathleen, in front of Squirrel Hill, has been cropped back by, you guessed it, squirrels.
Sea lavender is very fond of the cooler, wetter months in my inland location.
Some hanky-panky going on with the irises, who are beginning to bloom again after a short rest.
The first bloom of Deanna Krause, sadly past its best look
Madame Lambard
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Palms in the Winter Doldrums
Comments (5)I don't mind February actually.--January is the B////--as is currently being demonstrated across most of North America right now. Actually, my Citrus start blooming in February so that is encouraging. Yes, it is the snow month, but I love the light off all that snow on bright winter days. Nova, I have two garages--neither are for parking cars. The smaller is my tool/potting shed. The larger is a two-car loft garage. It faces directly south and the doors are half glass panels. There is small space heater (running overtime in this weather), but this holds a large subtropical collection (Canary dates that were grown from seed, oranges, lemons, kumquats, Sabal palms, orleanders, Cycads, Araucaria, non-hardy Yuccas, and the bananas (the bananas are largely dormant save for the Ensete and Basjoo). It's quite cold but frostfree. Eventually, I want to put a hot tub in the center. It gets me through the winter before the tropics really explode here!...See MoreWinter doldrums: Rhododendron occidentale
Comments (7)Got around to finding more pictures. This diversity is nothing special: these represent the average population genetics and this spread is common within the species. There are true outliers with double, large, reddish, and other unusual attributes but they are hard to find. I have a friend who specializes in this species so I've seen quite the gamut in his yard. Typical Darker pink Lighter Even lighter. Notice that the buds are yellowish instead of pink or red. A very star shaped form. This is one of my favorites for no specific reason. I know exactly where this bush is. Almost white. White. A fuller white....See MoreWinter doldrums: Collomia grandiflora
Comments (2)Mac, the Jepson Herbarium (University of Calif., Berkeley) has published a decent key for Collomia. If you click on the species links, you'll see details for each one, including flowering times, county distributions, expected elevation, and an ecology statement about where they are typically found (i.e. shaded areas near streams in woodlands, etc.)....See MoreWhat+when should I lay down pre emergent, when to fill bare spots
Comments (5)Taking care of your own lawn will result in a nicer lawn that you have confidence in. You'll know what's going on and why. Also you won't waste resources or damage your environment. Sod is a good idea in the spring. When you seed in the spring you get a lot of weeds coming in with the new grass. Further, new spring grass does not develop good roots before the hot weather hits. The end result is you have crabgrass in those spots by July. If you want to begin mixing Kentucky bluegrass into your lawn, that will help keep the bare spots to a minimum. KBG spreads to fill thin areas whereas fescue and rye grasses do not. Apply preemergent when the forsythia begins to bloom in your neighborhood. Spot spray weeds in April. Fertilize in late May (Memorial Day) Fertilize in early fall (Labor Day) Fertilize again with a high N (low to 0 P and K) fast release fertilizer after your grass stops growing in late fall but before the frost takes it to complete dormancy. The idea is to get nutrients into the roots without stimulating new growth that late in the season. This is "winterizer." It will help the grass come out of dormancy in the spring. In addition to, or in place of, one of the fertilizer drops, I would use an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer works differently from chemical fertilizers. The organic will improve the health of your soil as much as helping your grass green up and grow. Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting for your lawn. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. You should not get a disease following this plan. Most bugs you see in the lawn are beneficial. There is always a chance of getting bugs that are not good. Usually you would see the damage in August, so the time to inspect the lawn for them is in late June. If you don't see a lot of Japanese beetles swarming your porch lights in May or June then you probably won't have a grub problem. Good luck taking this on. As you can see it is fairly straight forward and not hard....See More
Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
6 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 thanked Melissa Northern Italy zone 8ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years ago
Lisa Adams
6 years agoI’m looking forward to it, Ingrid! Millie is visiting me this morning, and I know how you love to see her, so I’m posting her picture here. Here she is this morning, checking out ‘Boscobel’. Lisa
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 thanked Lisa Adamsingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years ago
Cori Ann - H0uzz violated my privacy
6 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 thanked Cori Ann - H0uzz violated my privacyingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
6 years ago
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