© (Getty Images) Choose smaller plants over larger ones, as smaller plants adapt better to new environments and will outgrow larger ones within a few years. (Getty Pictures)Autumn is finally here. We found ourselves in uncertainty about the October weather. By April, gardeners are in full planting. So the village!
build a garden
Before you start planting, make a plan. Without a plan, you waste time, money and above all, planting!
Stand back and look at your property. Think carefully :
• How will you use your space? What are your family's needs? How can parks meet these requirements?
• Plant trees that need shade. Some tips:
- Trees planted on the east side protect from the morning sun. They stay on the south side from morning to night. To the west, shady trees hide from the hot afternoon sun. Trees planted on the north side do not provide shade.
- Deciduous trees provide shade in summer. In winter, its bare branches are filled with the warm rays of the winter sun.
- Allow enough space for the tree to grow to its full size.
- Grass and trees are not suitable. Their water needs are very different. Trees that grow on grass are usually poorly rooted and short-lived. They also shade the grass below and crowd it out.
- Choose trees whose roots will not damage irrigation channels, sidewalks and foundations. Check selectree.calpoly.edu for root corruption.
- Find the perfect spot where the tree is close enough to shade your home, but far enough away that roots won't be a problem.
• Find a vegetable patch as close to your kitchen as possible, in full sun and in areas with water nearby.
• Install a summer kitchen next to yours.
• Choose a flat place for the play area (but it's okay to ride on slopes). Cover the playing surface with soft mulch or a low water content grass alternative such as a real bridge meadow. Do not use "artificial grass".
• Protect unsightly horizons with tall bushes. Space the bushes according to their mature size and be patient as they grow. It is a low maintenance approach. Tightly planted shrubs fill out quickly, but are meant to be pruned regularly for the rest of their lives (and yours).
• Improve beautiful landscapes. Frame this landscape with tall plants on both sides. You will be amazed at the difference in tires.
• Place plant pots where you want them to look for beautiful colors, textures and plants. Use a mix of tall, medium, short and stunted plants to mimic plant growth in the wild.
• Choose a color palette - cool colors, warm colors or a combination of these colors. If the color you like contrasts with the color of your house, paint the house first.
• Group plants into a family according to their sun and water needs.
• For more information on plants and colors, check out my latest book, Hot Color, Dry Gardens, at waterwisegardener.com/books.
Measure your land and draw on paper (square box = 1 square foot). Instead of drawing on this baseline, cover the baseline with tracing paper and draw on the ring. Use a pencil so you can sketch out ideas and erase any that don't work.
Once you have a planting plan, prepare a shopping list. Write down the botanical name of each plant and the number of each plant you want.
Important: buy young plants. Large plants are tempting, but smaller plants adapt better to a new habitat. They grow faster and outgrow taller plants of the same species within a few years.
checkpoint
This is the perfect time to plant almost any houseplant, especially native plants.
For each plant on your shopping list, here's what you need to know:
• What is the length and width.
• How much sun or shade does it need?
• The type of soil with the best characteristics.
• How much watering is needed.
• Is it evergreen or deciduous (loses its leaves).
• No toxicity issues.
• Do you have accommodation that meets all the requirements. Otherwise, choose another.
Good vegetables to try are true toyon ( Heteromeles arbutifolia) , true lemongrass ( Rhusintegrifolia ), and true sugar tree ( Rhus ovata ). Alien pineapple guava ( Acca sellowiana ), beach rosemary ( Wesringia fruticosa and other species ), myrtle ( Myrtus communis), cone-shaped bush ( Leucendron sp).
Don't be afraid of big drops; Just a park around the corner. Plant a mix of trees, shrubs and low plants. This tall, woody plant forms deep roots that hold the vine in place.
Planting for the future: Experts say oaks are among the best trees for our gardens, especially in light of climate change. The island oak ( Quercus tomentella) appears several times in this discussion. This tree native to the Channel Islands has gray bark with slightly hairy (visible) dark green leaves on the underside. The trees grow 30 to 60 feet tall and 35 feet wide. These fast growing trees can be erect, columnar or round and are drought tolerant trees along the coast. In interior valleys, they require additional watering until established. Birds, insects and animals support the island oaks.
Need a vineyard near the beach? See the species of passionflower ( Passiflora sp) with its beautiful flowers, as well as several types of fruit ; Slug vine ( Vigna caracalla ), which has round white to lavender flowers; or Goldvine cup (Green-leaved Solandura maximum and Variegated Solandura maximum 'Variegata' ). The cup of golden grapes has large shiny green leaves and large golden flowers, grown in a "cup".
Plant seeds of spring annuals, such as sweet peas, as well as native flowering annuals, including California poppies , Clarkia unguiculata , facilus, and elegant cornflowers ( Lia platiglosa).
Factory 101
How to prepare a planting hole:
• Dig a hole one to two inches deeper and slightly wider than the root ball of the plant; Lightly tie and roughen the sides of the pit so that the plant's roots extend beyond the pit.
• Fill the hole with water and let the water flow out. Drop a handful (for 1-gallon plants) or two or three (for 5-gallon plants, more for larger plants) of worm castings into the hole.
• Do not add any other changes.
How to plant:
• Water the plant in the container and let it dry out.
• Turn the container on its side and press gently to loosen the root ball.
• Carefully remove the root ball from the container and loosen the roots, taking care not to wrap the root ball (skip this step for bougainvillea poppies or butterfly poppies).
• Place the plant in the hole and cover with excavated soil.
• Moisten the soil while filling the hole and compact the soil around the base of the plant.
• After planting, soak the soil, then add drip irrigation and a thick layer of mulch, but leave the soil bare immediately around the base of the stem or stem.
• Irrigation and organic mulching.
How to plant seedlings of small annual flowers:
• Choose a location in full sun.
• Rake the soil until it is soft, then water until the soil is saturated.
• Place the seeds in a 1 liter plastic container, then add 1:4 construction sand and mix.
• Sprinkle the seed/sand mixture over the seeds.
• Gently pick up the seeds directly from under the soil.
• Water again with a very gentle mist to ensure the soil is moist enough to collect the seeds. Keep watering every few days (unless it rains) to keep the soil, seeds, and young plants moist.
honorable work
Pruning of ornamental trees. Hire insured, licensed and certified loggers who will be on site with the crew as they work.
Never cut trees. If the tree is too tall, replace it with a shorter adult tree.
Prune summer and spring flowering shrubs until new flower buds form. If you wait too long, you'll cut the buds and lose the flowers.
Prune the fig tree. Their wood is surprisingly soft and easy to cut. Keep the tree short so the fruit is easily accessible.
Cut geraniums back, starting with a long, curly growth. Cut off branches where new leaves are forming. The plant will quickly form flower buds in preparation for spring flowering.
Get ready for winter
Protect bare, bare slopes from rain by placing hay rakes horizontally across the slope. The pipe bulkheads act as "speed bumps" to slow the flow of water (and mud) down the slope. After winter, cut the rattles to expose the hay and spread it on the ground. Get rid of plastic netting. Compost socks are like cotton swabs, but full of compost.
Cleaning of rain gutters. If the material coming out of the gutter looks like compost, add it to the compost pile or use it to mulch the beds.
Cover the plums or put them under a roof if the nighttime temperature drops below 35 degrees. Stop watering the plumeria as soon as the leaves drop. Stop watering until new leaves appear in March.
Move tropical bromeliads and cold-sensitive succulents under a roof or patio cover to protect them from the cold.
Cover cold-sensitive ground plants with floating blankets. Hold the material in place with small clamps or clamps. Your local hardware and plumbing store sells floating covers in rolls or lengths.
Fresh mulch - rock mulch for succulents, wood mulch for all non-succulent houseplants. Try to keep the organic mulch 3 to 4 inches thick at all times.
the water
It's cold, the sun is low in the sky and the days are shorter. Plants need less water at this time of year. Start watering for the same number of minutes, but in the summer half - or less.
As soon as it starts to rain, stop watering completely. If it rains normally, do not water until March.
Install a new "smart" Wi-Fi remote. This controller calculates a watering schedule for each area of your garden based on location, soil type, plant type, etc. Configure and control the console using an app on your smartphone and/or PC.
fruit tree
Deciduous fruit trees: Remove dead leaves at the end of the month. Get ready to prune and spray starting next month.
Start planning now which fruit trees, grapes, berries and other fruits you plan to buy from your local independent nursery in January.
Fertilize citrus and avocado trees as soon as it rains. Use organic food for citrus fruits and avocado.
vegetable garden
Harvest your sweet potatoes early in the month and let them harden off in a cool, dry place until you're ready for Thanksgiving.
Discard summer crops (eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, etc.) Discard old diseased plants in the trash (do not compost). Treating commercial green waste kills pests and diseases.
Supplement the planting medium with compost, wormwood and an all-purpose plant fertilizer. Mix in last season's straw mulch.
Sow now from seed or young plants: cabbage, turnip, cabbage, spinach, pea, leek, bean.
Direct sowing on root beds: rutabaga, radish, carrot, radish.
If you're not growing winter vegetables, plant cover crops. Cover crops are “green manures” that grow in winter. Six weeks before planting the spring garden, turn the cover crop back into the ground to allow the roots, stems and leaves to break down and improve the soil.
program
California's reservoirs are very low and water is limited. No matter where your garden is in California, it's time to find ways to use less water. Learn how to protect your garden from drought by attending one of the free webinar series offered by Nan Stirman, WaterWise Gardener, in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. The next webinar will take place on November 21 at 5:00 p.m. Registration is mandatory. Visit waterwisegardener.com for a full webinar schedule and to reserve your spot.
Holiday Bulb Planting Process November 15, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Join Nan Sterman and florist Annette Gomez in planting a piece of blank white paper in a vase made by ceramic artist Susan Ah. Learn how to grow onions that grow beautifully in our garden while enjoying an afternoon tea of sweet and savory snacks. Let's try, invite friends or family members, give workshop souvenirs. Register at flowersannettegomez.com/bulb-workshop.
Sterman is a master gardener, writer and host of KPBS's A Growing Passion. Visit athroatingpassion.com and waterwisegardener.com for more information.
This story originally appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
