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December in the Garden
You’re probably way ahead of me and have taken care of all of these monthly tasks, right? On the other hand, relax. It’s gardening. Supposed to be enjoyable. Accomplish what you can in this busy season, appreciate the season, and delight in the pleasant surprises of the neglected garden. The photo of the veggies below […]
Read MoreNovember in the Garden
Autumn is in full gear this month. This is a great time to plant almost any tree, shrub, perennial, ground cover, wildflower seeds and the last of spring-flowering bulbs. While the days are shorter and storms may affect our ability to work outdoors (we can hope for many such interruptions!), it is generally more pleasant […]
Read MoreOctober in the Garden
We’ve had a taste of autumn already in September this year, but October is really when sweater season starts. We can still have many warm, or even hot, days, these are balanced by the shorter days and cooler nights. If you are paying attention, you will notice more irrigation water run off and puddling. You […]
Read MoreSeptember in the Garden
Perhaps you have noticed the days are getting shorter? A sure sign that summer is winding down and fall is around the corner. I think of the garden year not from January-December, but from autumn to autumn, since so much of our garden creation and re-creation happens in the fall. The first half of September […]
Read MoreKeeping
De-cluttering has become a modern attribute of the successful productive life, like brushing your teeth or going to the gym. Which is all well and good, but sometimes I just want to keep it. Whatever it is. I was having this conversation with my sister the other day. My house isn’t nearly as full […]
Read MoreAugust in the Garden
August can be a light work month in the garden, assuming you have repaired water leaks and kept the weeds, diseases, and pest insects to a manageable level. The main job this month is to conserve water in every way you can and plan on ways you can make your garden more drought resilient. […]
Read MoreGardening in a Drought
While hand watering my container plants on Wednesday, the approved day to water in my district’s guidelines, I thought about comments people made to me last week. They were basically of two kinds: “We’re all going to have to move out of California.” “We can’t have gardens anymore. There is no water.” […]
Read MoreJuly in the Garden
Be easy on yourself and on your garden this month. Do everything you can to conserve water. Enjoy the harvest of the summer garden. PLANTING: Don’t plant ornamental plants in July. Instead use your water to keep the vegetable garden, orchard and existing plants (especially trees) healthy. Edibles to plant include tomato, basil, and artichoke […]
Read MoreSummer is Here (no kidding)
I’m writing this from my outdoor office, surrounded by shrubs, trees, vines, perennials and one giant night-blooming cactus. It’s hard to be a gardener and not prefer the out of doors. But it’s hot. Barely summer and it’s already hot. And dry. Not brown in my courtyard, thank heavens! But brown on the hills surrounding […]
Read MoreJune
June means hot and dry weather, with occasional drops in temperature. Daytime temperatures average around 92 degrees Fahrenheit daytime and 58 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Expect almost 14 hours of sunshine per day, but don’t expect rain: June is historically the third driest month of the year. Without adequate snow pack and rainfall this winter […]
Read MoreSpring
“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly. “One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” Hans Christian Andersen This year, spring sprang into being in the Northern hemisphere at 2:37 a.m. PST March 20. Some plants in the garden decided it was spring in February, or even January. Some are just getting the […]
Read MoreMarch in the Garden
March was the first month of the year in the original Roman calendar. That feels right to me: March is a month of flowers and growth, the first full month in which almost everything in the garden is bursting with energy. Even the weather gets in on this act: March may be hot, cold, dry, […]
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