As long as the weather has cooled, this is the best month to plant almost everything in your San Diego garden. It’s also a good time to get your garden ready for winter rains.
It’s Planting Time in San Diego Gardens
Fall is the best time to plant perennials, native plants and trees, cool season annuals and vegetables, and many bulbs. The warm soil and cooler temperatures in fall are perfect because they allow roots time to get well established before next summer’s heat. You won’t see much plant growth until spring, but by then your fall plantings will be ready to take off!
If you’re interested in adding native plants to your landscape, the California Native Plant Society San Diego Chapter is having a native plant sale on October 19. There you can not only find native plants for your yard, but also get expert advice on how to care for them.
Fire Protection
October can be a dangerous time for fires in Southern California due to our warm, dry summers. This is an important time to make sure your home is protected against fire by cutting and removing dead leaves and limbs from trees and shrubs, especially if they grow near your home. It’s best to remove branches growing six feet or less from the ground, any that overhang the roof or eaves, and woody vegetation that is growing up against structures. Also, clear leaves from gutters.
Store any wood you’re saving from your cuttings far away from your home or any structures. Water trees deeply. The extra moisture adds to their fire-resistance. Avoid trees that can ignite quickly like acacia, cedar, eucalyptus, juniper and pepper trees.
For more information about protecting your home from wild fire, take a look at Defensible Space, Fire Resistant Landscaping, and Fire Hazard Reduction published by the University of California. It is part of a series of articles on sustainable and fire-resistant landscapes.
Division Can Be Good
This is the time to dig up and divide fast-growing perennial plants and those that are no longer performing at their best in your San Diego garden. Plants that will benefit from this include iris, Shasta daisies, alstroemerias, clivia, fortnight lily, yarrow, verbena, African daisy, gazanias, ivy geraniums and dianthus. Later in the month or into November, you can also divide daylilies and agapanthus.
Dig up the plants with a sharp shovel or knife. Use the same tool to cut through the clumps or between rhizomes at the joints, keeping roots on each division. Replant them immediately and water them well. It’s best to dig and divide when the weather is cool.
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.