Gardening Tips for December

Maintenance:  Be sure to rake up old leaves, fallen flower petals and debris from under trees and shrubs and discard. This helps protect your plants from diseases and insects that live over winter. Apply a 3 or 4 inch layer of new mulch to shrubs to keep the soil moist and warmer. Snails and slugs love tender young growth from bulbs and annuals. Don’t forget to bait to protect your plants. Use fish emulsion to fertilize actively growing winter vegetables and annuals to promote steady growth. Cover the compost pile loosely with a tarp or black plastic to hold in heat and keep the rain from leaching out the valuable nutrients. Clean, sharpen and oil tools. Store tools in a protected area so handles and blades are not damaged by moisture over the wet months.

Watering:  If the winter rains have not yet arrived, water established shrubs and trees deeply at least once this month. Check the soil under eaves for moisture during a rainfall. If the soil is still dry you may need to water occasionally. Plant photosynthesis slows down and cold weather dries the plants out.

Prepare for Frost:  When freezing weather is predicted, move tender container plants under house eaves or indoors. Cover plants in the ground such as hibiscus, citrus, plumerias and succulents with perforated plastic or burlap. Remove the covers in the morning and repeat at night if frost lasts more than one day Water plants before a predicted frost and they will tolerate the cold temperatures better. Protect citrus from cold damage by wrapping the trunks in newspaper and covering the foliage with plastic sheeting.  Or you could decorate cold sensitive plants with Christmas tree lights. The heat radiated moderates the air temperature in that location.

Native and Drought Tolerant Plants:  If you have decided to go green you can continue to plant California native and drought tolerant plants. Remember to water them regularly until well established by next winter.

Bare root berries and vegetables:  Nothing compares to fresh berries from your garden. Bare root berry plants and artichokes are available at garden centers this month. Check with a professional to learn about the best varieties for our area. Some varieties need a much lower chill period than we get in the Valley to produce a good yield. Grapes may be pruned late this month.

Roses:  Now is a good time to remove old rose bushes to make room for new ones. Toward the end of the month local nurseries will be getting their bare root roses stock delivered. Shop early for the best selection.

Trees and Shrubs:  Prune and spray deciduous trees. You can shape and control the growth of ornamentals by removing dead branches and thinning overcrowded centers. Use a dormant spray on peach and nectarine trees to prevent peach curl. This is a good time to purchase and plant bare root fruit trees. Plan for winter beauty in the garden by planting sasanqua camellias. They bloom earlier than japonica camellias and are more sun tolerant. This is an excellent time to choose your plants because you can see the color and shape of the flowers.  Also look for early flowering shrubs such as flowering quince, lilac, acacia, and daphnes in the nurseries. In the years to come they will reward you with a larger flower show.

Lawns:  If you have crabgrass problems check with your local garden center for various controls to apply this month to kill any seedlings that sprout.

Tubers and Bulbs:  When your dahlia stalks have yellowed or blackened, lift the tubers, clean them off and apply an all purpose garden dust before storing them in sand in a cool place. Replant in the spring. Plant more spring blooming bulbs early this month and reserve some for planting mid-February through mid-March to extend your springtime blooms.

Annuals:  Continue feeding them with a fast acting soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro (15-30-15) Pinch off the faded blooms to encourage more flowers. Transplant calendulas, columbines, cyclamen, delphiniums, foxgloves, gaillardias, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansies, peonies, Iceland and Oriental poppies, primroses, snapdragons, stocks, Sweet Williams, violas and violets to establish stronger roots for the spring show time.

Holiday Décor:  (Tips from Yvonne Savio, UC Davis Extension)  The garden is a treasure trove of possibilities for holiday decorations. Pyracantha berries alternated with popcorn make attractive garlands. Oranges, lemons or apples sprinkled with cinnamon or cardamom and stuck with whole cloves are delightfully fragrant pomander balls. Vines from grapes, honeysuckle, wisteria, willow, or ivy will bend into many useable shapes. Eucalyptus pods, pine cones, acorns, and magnolia leaf clusters provide many shades of brown. Herbs, too, can trim yule logs, flavor jelly, give fragrance to clusters of twigs or wreathes and perfume the air in stovetop potpourris. And, of course, there is mistletoe.

Gift Plants: December is the month for gift plants and here is how to maintain them indoors after the holidays. Amaryllis, florists’ cyclamen and paper white narcissus bulbs are forced to bloom for the holidays. These bulbs can be grown indoors indefinitely. However, they may not bloom at Christmas time again like the first time. For amaryllis, allow the bulbs to dry out from mid-August through mid-November, then water and feed to promote bloom. Cyclamen grow from tuberous roots. Cut back watering after they finish flowering. Stop watering when leaves die and put the plant in a cool place (65 degrees) for three months then water and feed. Let narcissus bulbs dry out from the time the leaves die back in spring through early fall and then begin to water and feed. When florists’ chrysanthemums stop blooming store them in a frost free place and transplant into the garden when the ground warms up. Christmas cactus will grow for years with only moderate light. To get them to bloom at Christmas, keep the plant indoors in a cool (50-55 degrees) spot where it will get 12 to 14 hours of darkness in November.

Gardening Tips for November
(Excerpts from past issues of “Garden Gate” our newsletter)

California Native Plants:  There is still time to plant native plants. Dig a hole slightly larger than the rootball and fill with water three times letting it drain down each time. This will encourage the roots to grow deeper. Place the plant in the hole and fill in dirt carefully to avoid damaging the tender roots. Unless it rains, give the new planting about a gallon of water once a week through the winter and then every two weeks during the summer. By next year it will not need winter watering and only once or twice a month watering during the summer heat. Natives attract birds and butterflies as well as beneficial insects. They are the original flora and are very attractive, need little to no water once established and need no pesticides.
 
Some examples to try in your yard are: wild lilac or ceaonthus which grows as either a ground cover (Yankee Point), evergreen shrub (Joan Mirov) or small tree (Ray Hartman).  Flannel bush will thrive in hot, dry areas with good drainage. Needs no water once established and produces bright yellow flowers in the spring. Coffeeberry shrub is evergreen with long, shiny green leaves. It is dense, compact, grows berries for bird food and is garden friendly.  There are salvias with red, blue, violet or white flowers. Cleveland Salvia reaches 6 feet and produces blue flowers from May to August. For spectacular 9” white saucer shaped flowers, plant the matilija poppy in a dry, sunny corner of the yard.  For the widest choices, expert advice on what to plant in your area and viewing plants at various times of the year, visit a local native plant nursery or specialist.
 
There are showy plants for more visible spots. Purple fountain grass is graceful and non-invasive. Edge a deck or patio with tubular flowers such as penstemon or lobelia laxiflora where the bright flowers attract hummingbirds.

Roses in November:  We usually get some of the best blooms this month. Stop feeding them and start reducing the amount of water you give them to ease them into dormancy. Remove all yellow and brown leaves and clean up debris on ground to keep the bushes healthy.

Vegetables:  This is the best month to put in onion starts and strawberries. Plant onion sets every month or so to harvest onions throughout the winter and spring.  Continue sowing seeds of beets, carrots, chard, parsley, peas, radishes and turnips.  Set out broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard, loose-leaf lettuce and cauliflower seedlings. Scatter some plants here and there in bare garden spots, mix in a flower bed or plant in a container near the kitchen door. The leaves of some larger vegetables are quite pretty in flower beds. Mulch the ground between plants to keep the rain from pounding the soil down.

What to Plant This Month: Soak ranunculus bulbs for about an hour before planting.  Pre-chill tulips, hyacinths and crocuses now to plant later in the month. You may work bone meal into the soil as you plant bulbs.  Bulbs like morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled sun under tall trees. Plant small bulbs 3 inches apart and larger ones 5 inches apart. Plant some daffodils and narcissus in pots and baskets for holiday blooms.  Make a “Show of Daffodils” by planting a layer 8 inches deep and half cover with soil. Plant a second layer into the spaces between the tips which are still showing. The upper layer will bloom first, then the second deeper layer will burst forth for a longer lasting “show”.  Bulbs that will naturalize are Dutch iris, freesia, sparoxis and watsonia. Daffodils will naturalize at higher elevations and gophers won’t eat them.
 
Herbs are easy to start now. They can be tucked between other plants or grown in pots close to the kitchen door. Buy and plant pony packs of annuals such as African daisy, calendulas. Iceland poppy, pansies, snapdragons, stocks, sweet alyssums, and ground covers.
 
Plant a variety of chrysanthemums for instant color in pots or sunny garden spots. When the flowers die cut back the plants to within an inch of the soil. They will reappear in the spring and bloom again next year.

Fall Pruning:  Sages and lavenders need to be cut back to shape and to force new growth.  Cut the tops off yarrows and put on the compost pile. For bigger blooms, de-bud your camellias and leave one bud per tip. You want it to be facing up and out. This will let the plant put all its energy into making bigger blooms. If you have blackberry, boysenberry and loganberry plants, cut old canes back to the ground. Keep the smooth barked canes that grew this year because they will bear fruit next year. In December or January you can cut back the canes of low-chill raspberries.

Fall Tasks:  When you rake fine textured pine needles, save them to mulch acid loving plants such as camellias, azaleas and blueberries or to cover garden paths.  Keep cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs that hatch into leaf-chomping caterpillars by spraying the plants with “Bacillus thuringiensis” to kill the young caterpillars. Keep hydrangeas blue by adding aluminum sulfate to the soil around the drip line. Make a second application in December. Clean out gutters and downspouts. Consider purchasing rain barrels or similar containers to collect rainwater for plants. Pull out annual weeds as they appear to prevent them from setting seeds. Have you had a tetanus shot within the past ten years? If not, its time to get a booster. The tetanus bacteria is found in soil, manure and potting mixes which may get into an open cut as you work and the poison is potentially fatal.

Soil Erosion:   Turn off automatic sprinklers as the weather cools and rains begin.  Use native plants to stabilize dry slopes. Because of their deep roots and low water requirements, shrubs like California buckwheat, ceanothus and toyon are good choices. Sow seeds of California flowers between the young shrubs to hold the soil while the shrubs are growing to mature size. Shredded bark mulch will also help hold the soil in place.

Gardening Tips for October
(Excerpts from past issues of “Garden Gate” our newsletter)

Native and Drought Tolerant Plants:  Planting time for these plants is starting toward the middle/end of October through February and early March. All newly planted specimens will need to be watered during the first two summers to get established. Check the listings for fall plant sales below to find a sale near you.

Roses in October:  Check your roses to remove dead wood, twiggy growth, and leaves with spots and mildew. Clean up fallen leaves in rose beds to prevent pests and disease from taking up residence.  Do not prune now. Give your roses one last feeding early this month to enjoy one more bloom season during the holidays.

Soil Improvement:  Before commencing your fall planting, clean out your beds and garden plots – pick up leaves, dead blooms, dead vegetables or flowers, and grass clippings. Add fresh compost, gypsum (for clay soils), and aged steer or chicken manure, seaweed and whatever source of humus you have to build up the nutrients in the soil and improve drainage. If using chemical fertilizers, read the label carefully to avoid adding more than necessary. Trace elements of iron, boron, zinc, lead arsenic and other heavy metals will build up with overuse of chemical applications. Dig up the soil at least 8 inches deep to work in the supplements.

Planting Bulbs:  Purchase your bulbs early for a good selection and look for plump, healthy looking bulbs. As a rule of thumb, dig the hole two to three times the depth of the bulb. You may layer smaller bulbs above the deeper, larger bulbs to extend the flowering period in your bulb beds. Place some bone meal or bulb fertilizer at the bottom of the hole, add a little dirt and then the bulb so it does not touch the bone meal. As a final, step plant annuals over the bulbs to keep weeds out and to cover the leaves as they start to turn brown after the blooming period is finished. Spring bulbs for this area include allium, daffodils, Dutch iris, freesia, ixia, babiana, oxalis, scilla, spider lily, and watsonia.  Wait until the soil has cooled to plant anemonies and ranunculus – around Thanksgiving.

Winter Flowering Annuals:  This is a good month to start planting pansies, stock, snap dragons, alyssum, and viola starter plants from the nursery for cheerful blooms from fall until the heat comes in April. They will thrive with a regular watering schedule until the rainy season starts. Be alert to wilting when the Santa Ana winds blow and dry out all plants – they will need watering daily until established.

Perennials:  If some of your perennials are starting to decline, they may just need to be divided. As a rule, spring and early summer blooming perennials should be dug up now during their dormant season, their beds improved with compost and manure, and then divided to give each plant more root room. Usually the center of the clump declines first so replant the smaller, more vigorous plants around the outer edge of the clump and discard the plants from the center. Dig deep to get most of the root structure and keep the roots moist with a wet burlap sack, wet newspapers, etc. until replanted. Aim to replant the same day if possible. Divide the clump with a shovel, or sharp knife leaving plenty of roots on each division. Some typical perennials to divide are astilbe, Asiatic lily, Oriental lily, Siberian iris, Japanese Iris, veronica, peony, Shasta Daisy, and veronica. Prune geraniums to reshape and stimulate new growth.

Vegetables:  October is a good time to sow seed for winter vegetables such as beets, carrots, onions, radishes, Swiss chard, arugula, cilantro, parsley, peas, shallots, turnips and lettuce. Set out transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and other cole crops and plant perennial crops such as artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb.

Pest Control:  A thorough cleanup now really pays off in fewer pests and diseases later. Set out bait to protect your new plantings from snails and slugs.

Fall Plant Sales:  There are many plant sales during the month of October in or near San Fernando Valley.  Theodore Payne Foundation has a huge inventory of native plants, seeds, books and art to entice people to their annual sale at 10459 Tuxford, Sun Valley  - their phone number is 818-768-1802 or check their website:  www.theodorepayne.org 

The Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino, 818-881-3708 hosts a native plant sale every fall by the L.A. California Native Plant Society offering plants (including expert advice on where to plant and how to care for them), seeds, books, posters, gift items, snacks, and free native gardening talks. Contact the Society at 818-881-3706 or at www.lacnps.org  for time and dates of the annual sale.

Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, 350 W. Gainsborough Road, Thousand Oaks,  specializes in water-wise and California native plants. They have an annual sale during the month of October. Contact them at 805-494-7630 or at:
www.conejogarden@hotmail.com

Huntington Library and Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino has 15 specialized gardens and they hold a plant sale and talks every 2nd Thursday. Contact them at 626-405-2100 or at:
www.huntington.org

Gardening Tips for September
(Excerpts from Garden Gate, our club newsletter)
 
California Native Plants:  Start now to prepare a space for native plants in your yard as we are approaching the prime months for planting native and Mediterranean plants. If you have lost a shrub or tree in the summer heat and drought look for a native or Mediterranean plant as a replacement.
 
Vegetables:  This is the time to plant cool weather vegetables such as beets, brocoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kohlrabi, all varieties of sweet peas, potatoes, radishes, garlic bulbs and spinach. Grow in rich, well drained soil in full sun. Try tucking a few of your favorites here and there in flower beds and pots as the summer flowers fade. If seeds have not been successful for you, look for young plants including artichoke, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts in your local nursery. Keep the seedbeds moist and cool with shad and a layer of mulch until the seedlings develop two to four true leaves. Pinch out new blossoms and growing tips of melons, winter squash and determinate tomatoes to force growth into fruits that have already set.
 
Citrus:  Feed for the last time this year. Pale green citrus leaves may indicate a need for a does of liquid chelated iron or a solution of fish emulsion and kelp. Deep watering keeps the trees healthy and able to withstand periods of drought.
 
Herbs: Sow some frost tender herbs for fresh use indoors all winter long. Plant the seeds now and move inside next month to acclimate. Good candidates are dark green and dark opal basil, chives, chervil, mint, oregano, flat leaf parsley, rosemary, summer savory, sweet  marjoram and thyme.
 
Ornamental Grasses: Purple Fountain Grass and other ornamental grasses need cutting back to nearly the ground by mid September to avoid thatch build-up. Also fertilize established ground covers, shrubs, trees and warm season grasses.
 
Spring bulbs: Plant a series of bulbs this month for a long display of flowers next spring. Search your local nursery for freesia, babiana, Grand Duchess oxalis, sparaxis, tritonia, alliums, amaryllis, anemones, crocuses, daffodils, narcissus, paper whites, ranuculus and watsonia.  Purchase early for best selection. Look for big, plump bulbs which have the most stored food to produce larger and more numerous blooms.
 
Perennials:  Switch fertilizer for cymbidiums from a high nitrogen to a high phosphorus formula (15-30-15). Mums should be staked and tied to avoid damage by unexpected wind and overhead watering. Fertilize until color begins to show.
 
Annuals:  Mid month, set out seedlings of calendula, candytuft, delphinium, English daisy, foxglove, Iceland poppy, nemesia, pansy, penstemon, snapdragon, stock, sweet alyssum, sweet William and violas. You will have blooms from Thanksgiving until April.
 
Flowering Shrubs:  Your roses need some attention now. Prune out weak growth and shorten growth that has already bloomed. Reconstruct the water basins to make sure the water can penetrate deeply into the root zone. Fertilize once more this year. Hibiscus blooms will continue longer if you use an acid type fertilizer on a regular basis. Switch to 0-10-10 fertilizer for azaleas, camellias, gardenias and rhododendrons to encourage formation of next spring’s blossom buds.
 
Pest Control:  Dispose of old leaves and old compost mulches from under shrubs into the green container.  Cleanliness will keep fungus, and pests from overwintering and returning next spring.