San Diego gardens are in full bloom this month. Enjoy the beauty. It’s payback for all that hard work. The rains are over, so check your irrigation to make sure your plants are getting enough water. And don’t forget to pull weeds! If you can get the weeds out before they set seed, you’ll have a lot fewer next year.
View Wildflowers
Although some of the blooms are over, there are still wildflowers blooming in California. This year’s show is exceptional thanks to our abundant rain and cool spring. If you want to find out what’s blooming, go to the Theodore Payne Foundation. They offer weekly updates posted on Fridays through the end of May. Their wild flower hotline is 818-768-3533.
Manage Snails and Slugs
That abundant rain and cool spring weather also makes great conditions for snails and slugs. My yard is full of them right now.
If snails and slugs are damaging your plants, you can control them without using pesticides. Remove daytime hiding places like rocks, pots and pieces of wood. Handpick any snails you find. Bag them and put them in the trash. A band of copper placed around pots and trees is also helpful. Snails don’t like to cross over it.
There are snail baits made from iron phosphate like Sluggo and Escar-Go that are safe to use around dogs, children and wildlife. You can also try beer or melon rind traps. More info on snail and slug control is at the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program’s page on snails and slugs.
Plant Your San Diego Garden for Summer
This is the perfect time to start planting heat-loving annuals, perennials and vegetables. Try adding summer annuals like cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, zinnia, coleus, verbena and rudbeckia.
For more permanent plants, heat-loving perennials like kangaroo paws, lavenders, sages, pincushion flowers, asters, penstemons and artemisia can be planted in May. By the end of the month, you can also start adding subtropicals. In your vegetable garden, grow beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, squash, peppers, and tomatoes.
If you’re new to vegetable gardening, or would just like more information, the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County has a great list of resources on their Beginning Vegetable Gardening page.
San Diego Gardens Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.