Garden Questions to Ponder

If it is the driest year on record, and we had all those nights of temperatures in the 20’s followed by several days of record high temperatures for December and January, how is one supposed to attack the usual early-winter garden chores? If we are confused, think of the poor plants! Do we cut back the hydrangea? Prune the roses? Cut the Romneya coulteri (Matilija Poppy) down to half its size as the references direct? If the natives rely on winter rain, should we be watering them now since there is no rain?

Next to my blooming narcissus (!) are brown, frost-bitten sprigs of lantana. The Japanese maples have begun to bud and the camellias are in full bloom. The citrus are hanging on, but I doubt I will be making much lemonade, as the tiny lemons aren’t looking promising. The Salvia spathacea (Low Growing Pitcher Sage) continues to thrive and set more blooms. The vegetable garden looks great and we have begun to eat lettuce and spinach and eagerly await the first cauliflower. Well, some of us are eager for that delicacy anyway.

I water, I cut back, I have even fertilized some well-protected patio flowers because they are behaving as if it is spring. It is actually excellent gardening weather, with no rain pouring down, no muddy ground to cope with, and the short days mean our plants won’t require nearly as much water as those we might plant in late spring. Still, how do we know we are doing the right thing? The extended forecast does not show rain in the near future, and drought seems nearly certain.

As we plan and install drought-resistant gardens, this year has proven that we must also look for those plants that are hardy to 20 degrees. Some of my Australian natives did well this month, two different species of Grevillea, for example. Others did not – sadly my Melaleucas seem to have bitten the dust, but I will wait a while before declaring them casualties of the strange December of 2013. Meanwhile I will be researching the cold-hardiness of possible replacements, when I am not busy applying sunscreen and moving the hose!

Crazy narcissus. (photo by Diana Bryggman)

Read more