In a drought year, consider native plants suitable for our area.
Tasks
- Remove thatch and aerate warm-season lawns (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) to allow better water penetration.
- Water citrus, being careful not to overwater.
- Hand pick snails and slugs daily or use bait. Avoid baits that contain metaldehyde, as they are toxic to all vertebrates.
Pruning
- Azaleas and camellias as they finish blooming.
- Finish pruning deciduous trees.
Fertilizing
- Acid-loving plants (such as azaleas and camellias) after bloom, also annuals.
- Cool season turf, if fall fertilization was missed.
Planting
- Plant annual summer herbs and vegetables at two-week intervals for successive crops.
- Annuals: Begonia (fibrous or wax), sunflower (Helianthus), marigold (Tagetes).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: Sternbergia.
- Fruits and vegetables: onions (green), parsnips, potatoes (white).
- Trees, shrubs, vines: Toyon (Heteromeles), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus), citrus, Euonymus.
- Perennials: alstroemeria, columbine (Aquilegia), false spiraea (Astilbe), deer fern (Blechnum spicant), dianthus.
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: Armeria, snapdragon (antirrhinum), columbine (Aquilegia), fibrous begonia (Semperflorens).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: anemone, freesia.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: acacia, aesculus, camellia, California wild lilac (Ceanothus).
- Fruits and vegetables: asparagus, grapefruit, kumquat, mushrooms.
Things to ponder
- Pull weeds as they begin to emerge to prevent having to spray later.
- When choosing plants in cell packs from the nursery, be sure roots are not protruding from the bottom of the container.
- Consider composting to cut down on green waste.