Sunset+201810

(Tina Meador) #1
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
Free download pdf