I recently watched The Secret Garden, a 1949 film based on Francis Hodgson Burnett's classic book of the same name. It's about a girl who was left an orphan and how the restoration of a secret garden in Yorkshire, England changes her life and those around her. If ever there was a movie or book that the whole family could enjoy unconditionally, this is it.
When the orphan Maria entered the secret garden, she grew no more than some daffodils whose green eyes had just begun to cross the earth. Then, when the daffodils bloomed, Mary cut them and put them in a vase. The way she looks and touches you with love is the first sign that she has changed from a stubborn and annoying girl to a sensitive and caring soul.
The innocence of children and the pure beauty of the garden go hand in hand. It is also the children's participation in planting the seeds, watching the young leaves sprout and harvesting, which gives them purpose and self-esteem from an early age. They also learn the responsibility of taking care of what grows and when they share the harvest with their friends.
Cherry tomatoes are a great fruit for kids to grow and pick because they fit easily into little hands. And they are available for harvest most of the year in Southern California. My Sungold cherry tomato plants have been producing for at least six months and show no signs of fatigue. It grew to a height of two meters and was still adorned with dozens of flowers and large fruits. My Sun Dipper tomato plants are still producing. A sundae is an oblong, sand-shaped cherry tomato that you can easily hold between your thumb and forefinger to dip into your favorite vegetables or dishes.
One of the shrubs that received special attention in the secret garden is the lilac. Lilacs are large, deciduous shrubs that can reach 15 meters in height. Lilacs can also be grown in a royal hedge. Few people visit this garden because lilacs are deciduous in winter and do not bloom for more than a few weeks in spring.
When it comes to flowers, none of the above beats the lilac, whose dense flower clusters can reach up to a foot in height when it comes to fragrance. It is proof that Lilac is a perfume in itself in the world of perfumes. An ancient technique known as enfleurage involves infusing lilac flowers with vegetable oils to extract their essential oils in the form of palm, cocoa or coconut butter. In a classic bouquet, lilacs are collected for 33 consecutive days, as the flowers of one day are replaced with freshly cut flowers.
Lilacs come from regions with cold winters, so Southern California gardeners may be intimidated by the idea of growing them locally. However, Descanso Gardens in La Cañada grows a group of lilac hybrids that don't need cold winters to thrive. Two of these, Angel White and Lavender Lady, are grown by Monrovia Nurseries and can be ordered from any nursery that has Monrovia plants. The hybrid Descanso lilacs, along with 250 other lilac varieties that start flowering in mid-March, are part of a special collection in the Descanso gardens, and can easily be missed by the casual visitor.
Lilacs are known for their longevity, living 100 years or more in their habitat on the rocky slopes of the Balkans in southeastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia. The main reason for their longevity is their tendency to absorb. New growth is constantly emerging from the soil, which also facilitates propagation. You can create new plants by pulling young shoots from the roots and transplanting them to other parts of the garden.
Lilacs do best in soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH, similar to the pH of most Southern California gardens. Good soil drainage is also important. If your soil does not drain well, supplement it with compost before planting your lilacs. Yasanaman blooms in the second year (the branches have grown the previous year) and after flowering 20-40% of the leaves should be cut in pairs. Buds without flowers should not be removed from the form. For shrubs that have been in the garden for at least three years, remove old branches at the base to encourage new flowering branches and keep the plant compact.
Be careful not to water the lilacs. Don't water this time of year if it hasn't rained in a month. Feed your lilies every two weeks in the spring and once a week in the summer. When it comes to fertilization, this is really a back burner, especially when there is a layer of mulch when it comes to lilacs. Too much nitrogen causes excessive leaf growth at the expense of shoot production. If you fertilize, which should be done several times a year before bud break, make sure the product has twice as much phosphorus as nitrogen, which promotes flowering. Lilacs grow quickly to a height of ten meters and are often cut to decorate vases.
California weekly origin. There aren't many California wildflowers that will grow in partial shade, but the light blue eye (Pnemophila menziesii) is one of them. I will never forget seeing the vast expanse of these magnificent flowers under the hundred year old oaks in Topanga Canyon. Blue eyes have blue flowers with white centers. Sow now for late winter and early spring show. Bulbs can be planted where they are planted, as they do not interfere with the growth of bulbs and complement well, for example, white and yellow daffodils. After flowering, baby blue eyes will bloom non-stop until warm weather arrives, at which point they become seeds that germinate the following year.
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