care for those early spring bloomers
Most flowers unfurl in the spring. But there are several groups of plants you can count on to add color as the winter comes to an end. These plants need your attention now.
Deciduous (winter leaf-dropping) fruit trees are extremely decorative as well as productive. Most of them bloom in the late winter and early springtime. You can buy dwarf trees (from 3 – 10 ft. tall), semi-dwarf trees (usually 10 – 15 ft. tall) and standards (approximately 15 – 30 ft. tall depending on the type of tree) to fit virtually any space. Now is the time to buy them bare-root at the best prices with the best selection. If you have fruit trees already growing, this is the time to prune and to use dormant oil sprays (when the wind is not blowing and not right before rain is forcast).
Although pruning fruit trees is a subject for a book, I can give you a few basics here. For fruit trees in the prunus family — like apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, etc. it is a good idea to shape them like a vase. That means encouraging side branches to grow out in a bowl shape rather than allowing tall shoots in the middle. You want to keep the inside area open so sun can shine in and ripen fruits. For pears, apples and cherries, it is okay to let them form a central ‘trunk’ with side branches. Rule of thumb is to cut back last years’ new growth by approximately a third. Some trees bloom and fruit on new growth, some on year-old wood, and some on older wood. If you do not have the time to research what care your particular trees need, this light pruning should work for all needs. It will encourage new wood while leaving enough older wood for old-wood fruiters. Always prune out dead wood and small crossing branches before they get large. Apricot trees really do best when pruned hard and regularly, to encourage a stubby appearance. Fruit trees really need to be properly trimmed when young to set up the foundation for their beauty, health and productivity for the rest of their lives. Fruit trees are not a good idea for the gardener who wants a minimal maintenance garden. They are the most productive of trees, offering splendid springtime flower, wonderful edible fruits, and autumn color for those who treat them well. But they do not thrive on neglect. If you care for your trees properly, you will be rewarded with a blizzard of pink or white flowers in the spring and a bonus of tasty fruit after the flowers are gone.
Azaleas, Camellias, and Gardenias are favorites for the shade. Azaleas in particular put on a dazzling show at the end of winter. These plants need special attention, though. They are acid- lovers and we do not have acid soil. That means if you want to have success with them in this area, they need lots of peat and organic material dug into the soil. Since our water is so filled with calcium and other minerals, every time you water them you will be neutralizing the acid in the soil. So it’s wise to feed them with an acid food and top dress them with a mulch/dressing made especially for them or with peat. Dappled sun is okay, but don’t expect success with these plants in full sun. Other plants in this same category are the Hydrangea, Astilbe, Hellebore and Japanese Anemone. Yes, they are beautiful, but they are difficult to grow really well here. Sometimes an individual plant will do remarkably well despite adversity, but don’t count on it. Again, these very non-desert plants are not recommended for folks looking for ease and low maintenance. Instead, look for drought-tolerant shade-lovers like Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus), Pinks (Dianthus) or Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) for just a few easy care, flowering plants.
California natives will put on their short but impressive display starting at the end of the winter. Some of the showy buckwheats (Eriogonum), nightshades (Solanum) and many salvias like Salvia clevelandii or apiana will also be flowering soon. California poppies and Clarkias, Nemophila (5-spot or Baby Blue Eyes) and Phacelia are some of the annuals that will blaze into color shortly, too. Seed these last flowers just before the next rain. Seeds need to go in right away if you want them big enough to bloom in a few months.
Some plants from the Mediterranean and from Australia have evolved in areas very much like ours and these imports can add easy-care color in the garden. If you don’t have them in your garden, this is a good time to plant rosemaries, lavenders, hesperaloes, and grevillias. Protect new plants and transplants from frosts by mulching or tossing a piece of burlap over them if the temperature is likely to drop drastically at night. Once they are established, these plants will require little care.
With a little extra effort at this time of year, your garden can begin blooming in just a couple of months. Those who remember the years before this latest drought know that we are not having an extraordinarily wet winter. But the rains we are getting are the best way possible to help our early spring bloomers put on a great show.
Jane has produced hundreds of landscape designs, each one a unique work of art specially adapted to the client’s tastes, needs and budget. She also does on site consultations and coaching through Gates & Croft Horticultural Design. She is a member of the Garden Writers Association and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. You can find her online listed under The Garden Coach Directory or check out her site at http://www.gardengates.info for more gardening and landscape design information for the greater Santa Clarita area.
During past decade, Jane has been writing landscape design and gardening articles for newspapers like the Los Angeles Daily News and local magazines like The Agua Dulce/Acton Country Journal and Santa Clarita Living Magazine. You can find over a thousand articles she’s written nationally on the internet for the Examiner, eHow and InfoBarrel. She also continues to paint, draw, illustrate and cartoon. She is one of the featured artists published in the 2009 ‘100 Artists of the West Coast II‘ just released by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. and available in major book stores and on the internet. Her original paintings are handled by the Orlando Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.
Contact information for Jane:
661-299-5383
