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Can any of you tell me about gardening out your way? I realize this is a rather vague question, and it is very late here. What is the soil like, in general? I know water use is an issue. Anything else you could share? It would be esp. interesting to hear from transplants (no pun intended!) from other growing zones.
What is unique to your growing season and growing conditions? Any special issues that a gardener new to the region should be aware of?
Southern California has many micro climates and is an Area the size of most mid-size states. Given that, just about any type of plant that you can think of will grow in SoCal.
I'll be sure to check out the site, nitram.
We were in Palm Springs awhile ago. I am located in growing zone 6, in Pennsylvania. I am in a region with such a short growing season. So, the gardens and variety of plants we saw being cultivated was impressive. For some reason, more so than Florida. I don't know why that is.
Irrigation must surely be an issue. Yes, Palm Springs is the desert. I always thought having a lush, green lawn in the desert was foolish. I don't mean to insult those gardeners that do choose a lawn. It just seems like a waste of water. If we do end up in SoCal, I sure wouldn't want a lawn! I would go with desert plants.
Although your query is unclear, the first thing to remember about southern California is that; it is a desert.
With this in mind you can plan your gardening accordingly.
Not all of it is desert! In fact where most of the people live - near the coast - it's definitely not desert. Dry yes, but not desert.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katnip kid
I'll be sure to check out the site, nitram.
We were in Palm Springs awhile ago. I am located in growing zone 6, in Pennsylvania. I am in a region with such a short growing season. So, the gardens and variety of plants we saw being cultivated was impressive. For some reason, more so than Florida. I don't know why that is.
Irrigation must surely be an issue. Yes, Palm Springs is the desert. I always thought having a lush, green lawn in the desert was foolish. I don't mean to insult those gardeners that do choose a lawn. It just seems like a waste of water. If we do end up in SoCal, I sure wouldn't want a lawn! I would go with desert plants.
In my opinion the most beautiful yards in Palm Springs are Xeriscape - and it's amazing how great they look. Very trendy, and current, and much more interesting than the yards with just grass.
That said, after you've been in Palm Springs for a few days, the lush grass at the golf courses does look awfully pretty! It's out of place, sure! But with the bright blue sky and the snow-capped mountains in the background, a beautiful golf course with grass can be a very pretty sight!
The mainn thing to remmeber about gardenigin SoCal is that it for many common type planting requires alot of watering as it doesn't get much rain really.Just as those lush lawns require alot of watering.
I lived in the South Bay for 20+ years, and loved gardening there. We just had a small townhouse garden, and so were able to use a lot of reclaimed water for gardening. Soapy water left over from washing something won't hurt your plants, and may even help with some insects.
Some other reflections:
1. Southern California is probably the easiest place in the planet to garden. A huge variety of plants grow there, and by the beach we did not have the insect/deer/rabbit issues I now deal with in Virginia. The soil is fairly sandy, so plants thrive with not that much care. Roses in particular love the soil.
2. Because you don't really get winter weather, annuals tend to behave like perennials. Impatiens will sometimes last for years. The downside is some plants don't get as big as they do on the east coast, since they never get the winter months to sleep. I've had azaleas that bloomed on and off all year. They never grew that big and eventually died from exhaustion, but what a show they put on.
3. The sun can get intense in So Cal, so it's not the best place for plants that have delicate petals that tend to burn. If you do want to plant them, look for a spot that gets a little bit of shade in the afternoon. To be honest, a lot of those super delicate English Cottage Garden plants don't look right in southern California, anyway.
4. You can plant bulbs like daffodils if you simulate winter by putting your bulbs in the refrigerator for a few months. Not worth the bother, IMO, but people do it.
5. There's a pretty orange flower called kaffir lily that LOVES deep shade. They're very handy, since most people have a spot or two that doesn't get any sun.
6. If you need to plant something near a pool, Bird of Paradise are very happy in that situation.
7. Bouganvillea is gorgeous but can grow out of control and swallow your entire yard if you don't trim them. I've seen bouganvillea bushes get bigger than cars.
8. Walk around your neighborhood to see what grows well in your particular area. You're bound to see lots of agapanthus, impatiens, and bouganvillea. Those always seem to do well, but if you want a look that's "different" you might want to avoid those plants since they are omnipresent.
9. The purple trees are called Jacarandas. They're lovely but they do cause a mess so don't plant one next to your driveway.
10. Don't plant those really tall and skinny palm trees. They tend to fall over in high winds and rodents nest in the fronds.
11. A piece of art will make your garden really shine. We used to drive down to San Diego to get cool pottery and garden art. There was a great little pottery place there. There are probably also some nice places with in LA area, that just happened to be a place we knew about.
12. Sometimes you'll see an article suggesting eating nasturtiums from your garden. Please don't try it, I know someone who got very sick doing that. You never know if chemicals have wafted onto your flowers from a neighbor's garden.
13. If you want to amend your soil with extra sand, buy it from a store. Do not try to use a bucket of sand from one of the local beaches.
14. Every year there would be somebody in my church who would get inspired by a local priest's sermons to try planting a grapevine. Don't bother. You'd think they'd do well by the beach but they don't seem to.
15. By far the best gardening book is Western Gardening from Sunset Magazine. This book is like the bible for California gardeners. It has tons of useful tips and information on about 1000 different plants.
Get Sunset's Western Garden Book. It will give you detailed information on the climate and soil in your specific part of Southern California, and will tell you which varieties of which plants will grow there.
Oops. Caladium already said this. Well, I second it.
Get Sunset's Western Garden Book. It will give you detailed information on the climate and soil in your specific part of Southern California, and will tell you which varieties of which plants will grow there.
Oops. Caladium already said this. Well, I second it.
Thanks for the credit, but even more important you got the name of the book right. It's the Western Garden Book and it's so popular you can even find it at Lowes, Home Depot, Target, etc.
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