Anawalt Gardening & Tool Tips
There are many good fall choices for gardeners in Southern California, although the temperature, moisture or the lack thereof, wind, and soil may be challenging.
Flower colors and vegetable flavor are better for fall crops because of cooler temperatures during maturity compared to summer crops. It’s the reason that summer flowers in the North are so colorful.
Poinsettias, whose bright petal-like bracts appear in late fall, have long been the most popular Christmas plant.
Hybridization has brought about many improvements to the fragile poinsettia. Plants are now more colorful; they also last longer.
When planning a new flower or vegetable garden, your family should be realistic about the time and cost for preparation, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and removal of residue. The suggested size for a family flower or vegetable garden is 100 to 400 square feet. You can increase or decrease it later, as needed.
Landscape and vegetable gardening in containers is growing in popularity. Containers are helpful for gardeners with limited space to provide special features or flexibility in the landscape and obtain maximum production from flower and vegetable plants. Special flowers and vegetables may be grown each spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Also known as variegated Laurel, Crotons come from the South Pacific Islands. The habit of growth varies with the type of plant. Dwarf croton varieties are bushy and compact. The tree-like varieties are tall and have a good spread. Crotons are usually maintained at two to three feet, but if given the opportunity, they can grow into large trees.
Most tropical plants do fine indoors and will even take some abuse. If properly maintained, they’ll live to a ripe old age, bringing you much enjoyment.
Here, we’re discussing their general care and maintenance. With patience and dedication, even a beginning gardener can develop a green thumb quickly.
Cyclamen are tuberous-rooted perennials grown for their beautiful flowers that resemble shooting stars.
They’re native to the Middle East, Cypress, and Crete. They have a common name of “Sow Bread” because pigs eat the big roots. Their tubers contain “cyclamin,” which is harmless to pigs but can cause gastritis and nervous tension when ingested by humans.
Whether grown indoors or out, all orchids require roughly the same care. Of the many species and hybrid orchids, the most familiar types are cattleya, cymbidium, and paphiopedilum, which are the corsage types.
Southern California has the blessing of warm weather most of the year. Winters are mild, too. These conditions allow for many tropical blooming plants in our landscapes. One such plant is Ixora, of which jungle geranium is the most common variety.