Reported by MIKE IRVINE & YVONNE SAVIO

Learn what to plant when with our year-round checklists: sunset.com/checklists.

PLANT
Site azaleas and camellias
now. Feed lightly all winter long,
and thin buds to 3 to 4 inches
apart for fewer but more spec-
tacular flowers come spring.

Set artichokes, herbs (especially
sage and thyme), and rhubarb.
All will mature before the first
hard frost and overwinter well.
Cole crops (such as broccoli,
brussels sprouts, cabbage, and
cauliflower) will do the same,
but cover them with soil up to
their first set of leaves to prevent
weak and leggy stems.

For best results, bury asparagus
crowns at least 6 inches deep
and cover with manure—winter
rains will wash the nutrients
down into the root zone.

Sow cover crops—including
annual rye, clover, fava beans,
mustard, oats, wheat, and
vetch —to be tilled under in early
spring for greater soil health
and fertility.

MAINTAIN
Divide and transplant
perennial flowers—acanthus ,
agapanthus, bearded iris , ber-
genia , coreopsis , daylily , dusty

miller , heuchera , hollyhock,

Japanese anemone, rudbeckia,

Shasta daisy , statice , stock,

and yarrow—that are getting

unwieldy or could fill empty

spaces in the garden.

Clear the soil beneath trees by

discarding decomposing fruit

and moving leaves to the com-

post pile as soon as they drop.

IDEA WE LOVE

Tunnel vision

Look to a supporting cast to pick up the slack as plants settle into dormancy. “As we transition into

colder months, the trellis becomes a piece of sculpture,” says artist Jennifer Asher , co-owner of

Los Angeles’ TerraTrellis. Here in the Sunset Test Garden, one of her steel arbors with a weather-

resistant finish becomes an elegant focal point sourrounded by the cloudlike seedheads of Muhlen-

bergia rigens and the vibrant fall foliage of ‘Navah o’ thornless blackberry. It’s autumn’s last call , but

the arbor will glisten with hints of morning frost and cast long shadows along the path throughout

the winter. Landscape by Homestead Design Collective; homesteaddesigncollective.com.

HARVEST

Pick winter squash, pump-

kins, and decorative gourds

when vines are dry and rinds

are hard and resist an easy

puncture with your fingernail.

Cut the stem with a knife or

clippers, and leave 2 inches

attached to the fruit to lessen

the chance of spoilage. Be sure

to toast the seeds for snacking!

READ

For detailed descriptions

and fascinating natural history

stories about our state’s native

species, Matt Ritter’s California

Plants: A Guide to O ur Iconic

Flora (Pacific Street Publishing,

April 2018; $28) is a wonderful

resource. Great for gardeners,

hikers, and plant lovers of all

stripes.

“Use archways to

frame a favorite

moment.”

MIKE IRVINE, GARDEN EDITOR

42 OCTOBER 2018 ❖ SUNSET

Home & Garden

CHECKLIST

SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA

SAMANTHA BROWN