Summer may be winding down in San Diego gardens, but with warmer-than-average temperatures expected for the next few weeks, now is the perfect time to plan ahead so you’ll be ready to plant as soon as the weather cools.
Order Wildflower Seeds and Buy Bulbs
Fall and winter rains bring poppies and other native wildflowers to life early in the new year. When a soaking rain is due, be ready to sow seeds for California’s state flower, tidy tips, baby blue eyes and more.
For decades, the Theodore Payne Foundation has been a trusted source for native California wildflower seeds. Their offerings include regional mixes designed for coastal, inland, and mountain gardens, as well as original blends developed by Payne himself, a pioneering Los Angeles nurseryman. Seeds are available in packets or pounds at www.theodorepayne.org.
When it comes to bulbs, we often think of tulips. But most varieties require more winter chill than San Diego gardens provide. This means they have to be stored in the refrigerator weeks before planting. Since I don’t have time or fridge space for that, I stick to bulbs better suited for our mild climate. This is a perfect time to plant many of them.
Jim Threadgill of Easy to Grow Bulbs in Oceanside suggests: Watsonia, Freesia, Eremurus, Spanish bluebell, giant white squill, saffron crocus, and trumpet lilies. In my own garden, I’ve also had success with Iris, Ixia, Gladiolus, Sparaxis, some daffodils including paperwhites, and ranunculus.
Most bulbs planted now will reward you with blooms in spring or summer. But if you plant fall blooming bulbs by mid-September, you should see flowers in just a few weeks. Some excellent choices are Colchicum, Crinodonna, fall-flowering crocus and Lycoris.
Vegetable Garden Transition
As summer winds down, it’s time to clear out vegetables that have stopped producing or show signs of disease, and prepare your beds for cool-season crops. You can start seeds for fall and winter vegetables in the second half of September. Due to San Diego’s mild winter weather, you can grow many different vegetables. I’ve listed just some of the possibilities in a previous post, Grow Winter Vegetables.
Keep a garden log of what you plant each season. This makes it easier to rotate crops, and learn which varieties perform best in your beds. Crop rotation is especially important for maintaining healthy soil and reducing pests and disease.
I’m guilty of planting too many tomatoes every summer. If you do the same and don’t want to turn them all into sauce, try Nan Sterman’s clever “tomato raisin” recipe for making dried tomatoes. You can also freeze extra tomatoes for later use in stews and soups.
Learn About Plumerias (Frangipani)
Bring the unmistakable fragrance of Hawaii into your garden with Plumeria rubra. Although native to Central and South America, frangipani thrives in sunny San Diego gardens with infrequent deep watering and good drainage. The highly fragrant star-shaped flowers, famous for their use in leis, range from creamy whites to warm yellows, pinks, rosy reds and multicolored pastels.
Learn how to grow these stunning, fragrant plants at the Plumeria Festival at Casa del Prado in Balboa Park, September 6- 7, from 10am to 4pm. More information is at Southern California Plumeria Society.
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.