December Gardening Checklist
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Fellow Gardeners,
The information, dates, and techniques in this blog are as accurate as I can currently offer. During the past three decades, I have cared for, nurtured, and observed tens of thousands of plants. With the help of many gardening friends, I have attempted to offer some helpful information to help you with your own garden on these pages. Gardening is sharing. Any corrections, comments, or suggestions are appreciated and will improve future information.
Table of Contents:
General Gardening Info
December is a great time of year to add some soil care to your gardening checklist. Taking care of the soil is the best way to ensure your garden stays healthy and maintains a balance of nutrients for all of your plants. Be grateful for the birds and opossums you encounter this time of year, as they’re essential for controlling so many garden pests. Some birds will even feed on pests in the ground, helping you take care of the soil.
Annuals:
December is another great month for adding cool-season annuals into the garden. The soil is still relatively warm in Southern California, but winter temperatures are cooling off, making this another perfect garden planting month.
● Just a few cool-season annuals to get planted now include pansy, viola, stock, Iceland poppy, linaria, English daisy, alyssum, calendula, snapdragon, ornamental cabbage and kale, bedding cyclamen, cineraria, and primrose.
● There is still a chance of some warm days and drying Santa Ana winds, so keep newly planted annuals well-watered until they are thoroughly rooted.
● Because of their rapid growth and heavy flowering potential, annuals need more fertilizing than most other plants in the garden.
● Keep deadheading (removing spent flowers) from annuals to help them continue blooming abundantly.
● Keep weeding.
Geraniums:
● This group includes ivy geraniums, zonal geraniums (also called common geraniums), Martha geraniums, and the various scented geraniums, but does not include true geraniums (sometimes called hardy geraniums), which are discussed under perennials.
● Ivy and zonal types will usually continue to bloom throughout the fall and winter. Periodically remove spent flowers to encourage more bloom.
● Continue fertilizing, except most scented types, with a balanced fertilizer. The dosage, however, can be reduced by half through the next several cool months.
● Continue a progressive pruning back of Martha types now. Don’t cut them all at once. You should have pruned one-third of the plants back last month. Prune back the second-third this month.
Sweet Peas:
● Seeds are in good supply now. This is a perfect time to plant seeds of all varieties. Be sure to mix in a few of the early-blooming (also called “short-day”) varieties that will bloom earlier than the others. These early varieties include ‘Winter Elegance’ (our favorite) and ‘Early Multiflora’.
Learn more by watching: World Class Sweet Peas with Steve Hampson + How to Grow Sweet Peas with Steve Hampson
Wildflowers:
● This may be the best month for planting California wildflower seeds. Spread them just before a rainy period, mixed with a couple of cups of clean, coarse sand. If possible, check the weather forecasts and wait for an approaching storm. Broadcast California wildflower seeds just before the rains begin. Be sure that the area is well-prepared before broadcasting the seeds. After spreading the seeds, rake the area lightly.
● Weeds will easily overwhelm California native wildflower seeds if not kept under control. Within a couple of weeks of the wildflowers (and the weeds) sprouting, start weeding. Pull or hoe them early and regularly to keep them under control.
Fruiting Plants
Any cane berries in your garden can be pruned this month. Grapes don’t need any pruning, but they will need some disease prevention applied in December. And if you’ve been wondering when, December is the perfect month to get strawberries planted into your winter garden in Southern California.
Cane Berries:
● This is the first month in which pruning cane berries can be accomplished. These include blackberries, boysenberries, loganberry, and some raspberries (see the exception below). Cut the canes that bore fruit earlier this year to the ground. Do not prune the new canes that sprouted from the soil this spring; they will produce the next season’s crop.
● Next month, you should prune the new low-chill, subtropical raspberries (including the popular “Bababerry”).
Strawberries:
● This is the absolute best season for strawberry planting in California (if you can find them). This early, you can start from six packs.
● See if you can find bare-root strawberry plants, they’re the best for Southern California. If you find them, if they are not already pre-chilled, wrap them in a couple of moist paper towels and put them into the refrigerator for three to four weeks. Then plant them right away.
● Pinch out the first two or three sets of flowers that your young plants will produce to encourage better root development and a more robust overall plant.
Learn more by watching: How to Grow the Best Strawberries with Sarah Smith
Grapes:
● Do not fertilize anymore until next year.
● Many varieties (especially one called ‘Fantasy’) can offer terrific fall color to the garden. This may be more noticeable in colder inland gardens.
● Reduce or eliminate irrigations, especially along the coast, to help the vines enter their winter dormancy.
● Powdery mildew may be on the foliage now. However, treatment this late in the season is rarely of any value.
● Thanksgiving Day should be your first application of dormant disease control (assuming the foliage has dropped). This should be a Copper Sulfate product. This is an organic product. Applying a dormant disease spray should be an annual chore, repeated every year to control some very common fungal diseases. The timing of this application is the most important of them all. Apply this application at the “pink-bud-stage.” This is the point in which the buds have swollen and may even be “pink” but have not yet opened.
Shrubs:
Be cautious when pruning hedges during the winter in California. At this time of the year, hard pruning on many varieties will leave the plant scarred for most of the winter. For fall and winter interest in California, plant a few shrubs with interesting fall effects in the garden. Plants with abundant, colorful berries or fruit now include cotoneaster, heavenly bamboo, hollies, persimmon, pomegranate, pyracantha, and toyon.
Camellias:
● Most Sasanqua camellias are beginning their full bloom period now. Feed Sasanqua varieties after their bloom cycle has finished, never before or during.
● Japanese Camellias are done with their “growth” cycle for this year. They have now set their flower buds for next spring. Most of the plant’s energy for the remainder of the year is going toward next year’s flowers. No need to apply any general fertilizer to camellias until after their blooms have finished, sometime next year.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | How to Plant & Maintain a Camellia
Gardenias:
● These are getting ready to withdraw a bit through the winter months. Don’t be surprised if several yellow leaves are developing. This is quite normal.
● Gardenias do not like hot, dry winds. If these occur, do what you can to shield the plant. A light misting and syringe of the leaves also helps.
Learn more by watching: How to Successfully Grow Gardenias with Sarah Smith
Hydrangeas:
● Contrary to some references, do not prune hydrangeas this late in the year. Most hydrangeas bloom on one-year-old stems. On these varieties pruning now will eliminate most of next year’s flowers.
● If you want to try to get blue or lavender flowers on your otherwise pink plant, start applying Aluminum Sulfate to the soil now. White-flowered varieties will not be affected, and not all pinks will be affected the same.
Roses:
● Many roses are still blooming very well this time of the year in Southern California, especially if you did a “summer pruning” in early August.
● Consider leaving the faded flowers on the plant after the last big bloom of the season rather than cutting them off as you usually would. They will often set very attractive seed heads, called “rose hips,” especially old-fashioned varieties. These hips can be quite colorful and are an attractive addition to the fall garden.
● Powdery mildew may begin appearing again on some varieties. If practical, remove infested leaves by hand. If the infestation is minor, it may be best to let it go at this time of year.
● Feed roses either at half strength or not at all. Also, reduce irrigation as much as possible. Allow the plants to slow down and “harden-off” before the annual pruning in January.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant, Care and Prune Rose Play List
Wisterias:
● No need to do any pruning now. You’ll make your final pruning of the year next month.
● The foliage of wisterias will be looking a bit dry and even showing some tip burn. No need to worry; this is normal for right now.
● Watering needs are minimal now, and there is no need to fertilize.
● If you garden in a cool, inland location, your plant may show a bit of golden-yellow autumn color before it begins to drop its foliage next month.
Trees:
Late December is a good time to prune most trees (except for tender sub-tropical trees like Ficus, Coral Tree, Avocado, Citrus, etc.). Few birds are nesting in trees during this season, the sap flow is reduced, and the pruning will help strong winter winds pass through the tree’s canopy with minor damage. Enjoy the fall colors that are looking great now.
● Certain deciduous trees are now showing their fall colors. If you are shopping for this sort of tree, this is a good time to order a tree or make some notes on the varieties you like. The best trees for fall color in Southern California include hybrid Liquidambars, Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo), Modesto Ash (Fraxinus), Chinese Pistache (Pistachia),
● This is a perfect time to prune coniferous trees like pines and cypress since their pests, various bark beetles, are not active this time of the year.
● Stake, or re-stake, small and newly planted trees now to prevent wind damage in the next few months.
Deciduous Fruit Trees:
● You can reduce watering now. Continue monitoring the soil moisture, but the trees are using less water this time of the year. Mature trees very likely will not need any irrigation.
● Most varieties will begin showing a lot of yellow or drying leaves by now. Leaf drop will be most noticeable after a rain shower or a windy period. Depending upon the weather, trees may have no leaves left or still a moderate amount by the end of the month.
● Some late-producing apple and pear varieties will still have some fruit on the branches.
● Around Thanksgiving Day should be your first of three applications of dormant disease control. This is a liquid spray product containing either Copper Sulfate or Lime-sulfur (do not use Lime-sulfur on Apricots). Both of these are generally considered organic products. Applying these products should be an annual chore, repeated every year to avoid infestations of such diseases as Peach Leaf Curl, Shothole Fungus, Apple Scab, Brown Rot, and many others.
Citrus:
● Many tangerines (also called mandarins) will be ready for harvest this month. Check the flavor of one or two first. If the sugar level is high, pick some more. If not, wait a bit longer.
● Citrus may already have a few yellow leaves, especially in inland gardens. Don’t worry; these are warm-weather plants and suffer a bit during the next few months of cool temperatures.
● Only feed potted citrus. Give them a very light application to keep the plants a bit greener through the cool months.
● Be careful with irrigation now. Warm, dry weather may require irrigation; otherwise, the cooler temperatures at this time of year suggest careful irrigation.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant, Care and Prune Citrus Play List
Avocados:
● Don’t be alarmed by a lot of leaf drop on mature plants. Avocados produce a lot of leaf litter nearly year-round and usually “molt” or exchange a good deal of their foliage each year. This is a normal condition.
● Irrigate as needed to keep the soil moist but not wet.
● It’s too late to plant an avocado successfully this year. Being sub-tropical plants, avocados prefer to be planted during the long, warm part of the year.
● California’s fall avocado fruit season is here. Some late-season fruiting varieties, like Fuerte, Pinkerton, and Zutano, may be ready to harvest. Remember that avocado fruit does not ripen on the tree; it must be removed and should ripen indoors at room temperature.
● Avocados are done putting on any new growth this year.
● Do not feed at all this month.
● Be sure to keep a very thick blanket of mulch, compost, or fallen leaves under mature avocados at all times. Avocados need a cool root-run for good health.
Learn more by watching: Edible Gardening: How to Grow Avocados in Southern California with Sarah Smith
Subtropical Fruits:
● Some of these will still be blooming and looking good, although others will be declining, depending on the species.
● The temperatures are beginning to drop, and the days are getting shorter, so it is time to stop fertilizing altogether. Let these plants harden off before late fall and winter. Eliminating fertilizer and cutting back on water helps the plants get ready for the months ahead.
● It is too late to plant for this year. Although “fall is for planting” in Southern California, these plants are an exception. Wait until late spring or early summer of next year.
● Except for the ‘Beaumont’ variety, keep checking for fallen Macadamia nuts. Pick them off the ground weekly, which may continue for up to three months. The ‘Beaumont’ variety will be picked directly off the tree in March.
Perennials:
Like October and November, December is also a critical month in the perennial garden. Winter is a great time for planting blooming perennials in California.
● Winter is a fantastic time to get started on planting your perennial garden in Southern California. Plant right away, and these plants will establish themselves through winter for great spring blooms. As you shop for these plants, they will be finishing their blooming period and this will worry novices. Experienced gardeners know not to worry about this, and they install most of their perennials and shrubs over the next couple of months.
● There are a couple of frost tender sub-tropicals like pentas and scaevola that should not be planted this month.
● Perennials will not need much, if any, fertilizing during these cool months. Exceptions might be a few container plants and the cool-season perennials mentioned below.
● Like October, this is a great month to review your perennials for potential replacements or upgrades. Many perennials are short-term plants and lose their vigor or form quickly and should be re-planted now. These include (with an approximate useful lifespan) columbine (2-3 years), delphinium (1-2 years), euryops daisy (2-3 years), Felicia daisy (2-3 years), foxglove (1-2 years), lavender (3-5 years), Marguerite daisy (2-3 years), nemesia (1 year), oriental poppy (1-3 years), pelargonium (2-3 years), penstemon (3 years), phygelius (3-5 years), scabiosa (2-3 years) and verbena (varies).
● Several perennials are now slowing down or going to sleep for the cool months ahead. You can cut back these varieties pretty hard right now to help the garden look tidier. These include achillea (yarrow), aster (perennial types, if they have finished blooming), baby’s breath (Gypsophila), most campanula, columbine (Aquilegia), coral bells (Heuchera), coreopsis, daylily (Hemerocallis), dianthus (perennial types including carnation), gaillardia, most geranium (true geranium), goldenrod (Solidago), Japanese anemone (when they finish blooming), lamb’s ears (Stachys), lions tail (Leonotis), matilija poppy (Rhomneya), monkshood (Aconitum), oregano (ornamental types), oriental poppy, penstemon, phlomis, phygelius, rudbeckia, Russian sage (Perovskia), most salvia (sage), scabiosa (pincushion flower), shasta daisy, stokesia (stokes aster), valerian (Centranthus), verbena (perennial types), and veronica (perennial types).
● Some other perennials don’t like a hard cutting-back, at least not now, and should only be trimmed lightly to shape them and remove any old or dead growth. These include agastache, gaura, lamium, lavender (Lavandula), nemesia (perennial types), oriental poppy, pelargonium (ivy’s, zonal’s, and Martha’s), penstemon, and thyme.
● Some perennials disappear entirely from sight during the cool winter months ahead and then reappear in spring. Don’t cut these back until the foliage is nearly completely dehydrated, and then you can cut the tops off completely near the soil level. Be sure to mark where these are in the garden to avoid accidentally damaging them when cultivating or digging in the area. Some of these completely herbaceous perennials include asclepias – native varieties (milkweed), bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis), caladium, calla (colored types), coneflower (Echinacea), dahlia (tuberous perennial types), chocolate cosmos, kniphofia (red hot poker), liatris, true lilies (Lilium), monkshood (Aconitum), obedient plant (Physostegia) and thalictrum (meadow rue).
● A few perennials are cool-season or winter garden plants in Southern California and are now beginning to bloom and grow actively. If you didn’t do it last month, prune and shape these a bit now. Feed them a bit too, and they’ll be even better. These include alstroemeria (except in cold inland gardens), armeria, euryops daisy, forget-me-not (myosotis), hellebore, Marguerite daisy, and viola (perennial types).
● A few perennials are sub-tropical and frost tender. These should not be trimmed now, or winter damage may occur. Wait until early spring to prune these: begonias, heliotrope, impatiens, lamium, pentas (starflower), and plectranthus.
● Some perennials don’t need any annual cutting back at all. Just groom these a bit now by removing any dead leaves, dead stems, old foliage, etc., and let them keep going. These include armeria, oriental poppy, and statice (Limonium).
● Removing spent or old flowers regularly, especially from cool-season plants, will help them produce more flowers.
● Some perennials are actually biennials (or at least behave as such in our climate). These include Canterbury bells (Campanula medium), hollyhock (Alcea), Queen Anne’s lace (Ammi majus), most foxglove (Digitalis), and most delphiniums. Don’t wait until next spring, which beginners do. These must be fall planted to ensure spring blooms, and this is your last chance.
● Cool-season weeds are germinating and growing quickly. Control them quickly.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | How to Use Annuals vs. Perennials with Lynn Hillman
Clematis:
● Many clematis offer a heavy second bloom spike during the late summer or early fall. Yours may be finishing this second bloom cycle now.
● The foliage of your plants may look a bit ragged and be showing some dryness at their bases. The canes are also often tangled at this late date in the year. Resist the temptation to prune now. Wait until about January for most varieties.
● No need to apply any more fertilizer this year.
● Reduce irrigations significantly or even completely to help the plants enter into at least a brief dormant period.
Poinsettias:
● If you are attempting to re-color your poinsettia for Christmas in California, keep up the regimen of fourteen hours of complete darkness per day, five to six hours of strong indirect light, and high phosphorus fertilizer.
● If you are growing poinsettias outdoors in Southern California, protect the plant from high winds to avoid breaking the stems.
● No need to fertilize anymore this year.
California Native Plants:
● Planting now through February is the ideal time. Many California natives go into a summer dormant or slow-down period (an adaptation to our dry summers). To establish these plants, they should be planted in the fall or early winter, at the onset of cool weather and rains, and the beginning of their active growing season.
● Cut back and divide Matilija poppies, if necessary.
● Also see “Wildflower” for information about native wildflower seeds.
Learn more by watching: California Native Plants for Your Garden with James Maxwell + California Native Plants with Sarah Smith
Fuchsias:
● Do not fertilize this month.
● If you are in a coastal garden with minimal frost, this is the time to cut your fuchsias back. Fuchsias bloom on their new growth tips, so pruning is critical to a well-shaped plant and lots of blooms. Generally, fuchsias are cut back about ½ to 2/3 of their size. Gardeners in cooler inland locations will wait until mid-February to perform their annual cut-back.
● If repotting is needed, the best time to do this is at the same time as the annual cut-back.
Groundcovers:
● Cool-season groundcovers are growing and blooming well. Common examples of these are African daisies (Osteospermum) and South African daisies (Gazania). If you didn’t do it last month, feed these varieties now. A granular organic fertilizer works exceptionally well for groundcovers, particularly on slopes.
● If you didn’t do it last month and want to do a heavy cutting-back of your cool-season groundcover, do it soon. This will reduce the thatch and renew their vigor. Fertilize after the cut-back to ensure a quick recovery.
● Warm-season groundcovers are settling down for the winter now. No fertilizing, minimal irrigations, and no pruning at this time of the year.
● California native groundcover plants, like Ceanothus, Baccharis and Arctostaphyllos (Manzanita) are also beginning to grow nicely.
● This is also a good month to plant these natives.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant & Grow Groundcover with Dalia Brunner
Bulbs, rhizomes, tubers, etc.:
● A few fall-blooming bulbs that will still likely be in flower in Orange County include fall-blooming crocus, Nerine, Oxalis hirta, Sternbergia, and Zepheranthes.
● Buy Hippeastrum bulbs (usually mistakenly called “Amaryllis”) now while they are in good supply.
● Although not usually considered along with bulbs, Bedding cyclamen are excellent for planting now as small plants. They will provide continuous blooms from now through March or April of next year.
● Lift tuberose and dahlia tubers now. Store them in a cool, dark location in barely moist peat moss or planter mix until re-planting time next March through May.
● Plant most spring-flowering bulbs now, except for tulips, hyacinth, crocus, and some alliums, which are planted next month when the soil is even cooler. Bulbs that you can plant now include anemones, Dutch iris, ranunculus, freesia, narcissus, daffodil, Muscari, Iphieon, Babiana, and Chasmanthe. Some, but not all, varieties of the following bulbs are also planted now: lilies, gladiolus, hippeastrum, and amaryllis.
Learn more by watching: Fall Planted Bulbs for Southern California Gardens with Sarah Smith
Bearded Iris:
● Bearded iris are essentially evergreen in our climate. Ignore what most national gardening books and websites may say about them being cut back and going dormant in the winter.
● You may be able to see the beginnings of new growth slowly pushing out while last year’s growth begins to fade away.
● If you are growing the new “repeat-blooming” varieties, they may be blooming again. Keep feeding these re-bloomers, but reduce the dose to about half of what you gave them in spring and summer. Older “once-blooming” varieties can have their feeding eliminated for the rest of the year.
● With winter rains, weeds will be sprouting and growing abundantly. Be sure to keep them under control.
Dahlias (tuberous types):
● Dahlias should now be allowed to go to sleep for the winter. Withhold all fertilizing and reduce the watering.
● If they are already dormant, you may want to dig and store the tubers now. Store them in a cool, dark location in barely moist peat moss or planter mix until re-planting timeabout next March.
● Along the immediate coast, they may be reluctant to go dormant. Force the issue by withholding all irrigations now.
● Don’t worry about any powdery mildew at this late date in the season.
Learn more by watching: Lew Whitney's Secrets to Growing and Maintaining Dahlias + How to Grow & Maintain Dahlias with Steve Hampson
Cannas:
● It would not be unusual for your cannas to still have a few flowers. Enjoy them. Cannas are one of the longest blooming plants in a garden.
● No need to fertilize during the cool winter months.
● If the plants are looking a bit tattered and tired you can cut the tops down to 4-5 inches above the soil and new growth will begin. If not, wait another month or two.
Tuberous Begonias:
● Plants are done for the year. They may want to keep growing, especially if the weather has been mild, but if you want to grow the same tubers again next year, don’t let them.
● If you were drying the plants off over the past month, they will look pretty sad now. Gently lift the entire plant out of the soil, tuber and all. Lay it in a sunny spot to dry off for a couple of days. After the soil is thoroughly dry, remove the stem (it should almost fall off) and pull off most of the roots as well.
● Store the tubers, not touching, in an open box with dry peat moss, perlite, or sawdust. Place the box in a cool, dark location until it’s time to sprout them again next March.
Tropicals & Subtropicals:
● Some of these will still be blooming and looking good, although others will be declining. It is not unusual for many of these to have a big fall flower burst now. You may have color now on plumerias, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and ginger.
● The temperatures are beginning to drop, and the days are getting shorter, so it is time to stop fertilizing completely. Let these plants harden off now, before winter. Reducing water also helps these plants get ready for the cool months ahead.
● It is way too late to plant tropicals this year. Although “fall is for planting,” these are the exceptions. Wait until late spring or early summer of next year.
Foliage Plants
Most foliage plants like ferns and ornamental grasses go dormant for winter in Southern California. It's time to reduce watering for both grasses and ferns, and you can tidy up grasses a little, but don’t cut back ferns at all.
Ferns:
● Reduce irrigations, but be alert to unseasonably hot, dry, or windy weather.
● Other than potted plants, which you can continue to fertilize at half strength, there is no need to fertilize again this year.
● Although perhaps tempting, don’t do any extensive cutting back, transplanting, or dividing. Most ferns enjoy warm weather, and these tasks are better performed at the beginning of their growth period next year.
Ornamental Grasses:
● Many ornamental grasses have now developed seed heads. These seed heads can be quite ornamental and are one of the most ornamental aspects of these plants. These flowers can be beautiful in the low, soft, fall light, especially in the evening and early morning.
● The foliage for many species of drought-tolerant grasses is beginning to dry back quite a bit now in Southern California. This drying foliage, especially when combined with the seed heads waving overhead, is an important part of many garden designs at this time of year. Do not cut these drying grasses back until you have thoroughly enjoyed the fall show.
● A few ornamental grasses may want to re-seed either in your garden or even into adjacent wild areas of California. If this is an issue, prune these seed heads off before the heads are fully ripe to prevent the seeds from dispersing.
● You can use the dry flowers of some of these grasses in fall arrangements. Consider these as a “fall” version of a spring flower bouquet.
Learn more by watching: Low Water Ornamental Grasses with James Maxwell
Vegetables and Herbs
California is lucky to have the opportunity for fall and winter vegetable gardening. There’s lots of cool-season vegetable garden crops that will thrive through a California winter and provide you with fresh produce right through to the spring.
Vegetables:
● This is another perfect month to plant cool-season vegetables in California. Give up on warm-season plants hanging on and give this valuable space to the array of cool-season vegetables available now.
● This is still an excellent time to plant garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks from sets (tiny bulbs) or seeds. Get garlic and bulbing onions in the ground no later than the middle of the month. If growing onions or garlic be sure to only select short-day varieties in Southern California.
● Some of the winter fruits and vegetables you can plant from transplants or seeds in Southern California are arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mesclun mix, mustard, onions, parsley, peas, and spinach. From seed, plant beets, carrots, favas, parsnips, radishes, rutabaga, and turnips.
● Vegetables like beets, carrots, chard, radish, and turnips will grow all year round, even in winter in California. All but chard are planted from seed only.
● Putting in successive plantings of many vegetables a couple of weeks apart will ensure a constant, uninterrupted supply for the kitchen.
● Cole crops like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc., are often attacked by caterpillars at this time. If only on a few plants, handpicking may be enough. Otherwise, use BT, a safe, effective, and organic solution.
● Horseradish root, if harvested now, will have its best flavor.
● Begin mounding any potatoes that you planted last month.
● Weeds are sprouting prolifically now. Keep them under control.
● During warm spells or drying, Santa Ana winds keep the garden well watered.
● Since most annual vegetables are shallow-rooted and quick growing, feed them regularly with a well-balanced organic fertilizer.
● If you started growing Jicama in the heat of the California summer, it should be just about ready to harvest and enjoy.
Learn more by watching: The Best Vegetables to Grow in the Cool Fall Season with Sarah Smith + Edible Gardening Series Cool Season Vegetable Gardening with Suzanne Hetrick
Herbs:
● This is still a perfect time to plant many cool-season and other herbs.
● Cool-season and some other herbs that can be fall-planted include anise, arugula, borage, chervil, chives, cilantro, comfrey, dill, fennel, feverfew, garlic chives, lavender, lemongrass, lovage, parsley, rosemary, salad burnet, sorrel, tansy.
● Basil (except African Blue Basil) is done for this year. Give up the struggle to keep it going.
General Gardening Info
Luckily the cooler temperatures in winter means this is usually a quiet time for pests in Southern California vegetable and flower gardens. If your garden is opossum and wildlife friendly, you’ll have even less bugs to worry about.
Beneficial Insects:
● Encourage opossums.
● Many migrating birds are now moving into or through the area. Encourage these by providing cover, berries, and water. Birds can be especially helpful in the garden. Many birds, like warblers and bushtits, will help control foliage pests and caterpillars. Flycatchers and Phoebe will catch dozens of flying insects every day. Mockingbirds, robins, and scrub jays will feed on soil insects like grubs and cutworms.
Pests & Diseases:
● Ants can be particularly troublesome this time of year.
Learn more by watching: How to Identify & Eliminate Common Garden Pests
Places to Visit:
● Gardens that look terrific almost any time of the year include Sherman Library and Gardens (Corona del Mar), The Fullerton Arboretum (Fullerton), Los Angeles Arboretum (Arcadia), Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens (San Marino), and San Diego Botanical Gardens (Encinitas).
Records, Catalogs, Books, and Organizations:
● This is the time to drop gentle hints about what kind of Christmas gardener gifts you might like this Christmas. Easy Christmas gift ideas for gardeners are: a subscription to a gardening magazine, a favorite gardening book, or a gift certificate to Roger’s Gardens. The more practical gardener ideas could be new pruning shears, a nice pair of goatskin gloves, a redwood potting table, a fancy garden composter, or DeWitt gardening tools. .
● Keep making notes in your journal, especially about what you planted, cut, divided, pruned, fertilized, sprayed, and enjoyed last month, and this during the busy fall gardening season.
Soil Care:
● A thick layer of organic mulch, averaging about two inches, should be maintained on top of the soil just about year-round. Add additional mulch as needed to maintain this level. This is a great month to apply mulch over all soil types in your garden.
● Applied now, this thick layer of mulch will moderate the soil temperatures, reduce weed germination, and significantly improve soil life and quality.
● If you have been considering inoculating your soil with beneficial mycorrhizae, this is a good month of the year to do so. The soil temperatures are just right for quick establishment. Inoculation can be done quickly and easily in established areas by using mycorrhizae tablets either during planting or thereafter. In moist soil, poke a hole near the plant with a ½” or ¾” rod or stick. Drop a tablet into the hole and push it in again with the stick.
● We do not suggest the use of very high-analysis fertilizers in a garden, especially phosphorus. Examples of fertilizers to avoid are synthetic versions with formulations like 10-55-10, 10-30-10, etc. We don’t even suggest the popular 15-30-15 formula. These formulations will inhibit or even destroy much of the soil life that is so vital to healthy, sustainable soil. Use organic fertilizers.
● We also suggest that you not use soil-applied systemic fertilizer/insecticide combinations (especially popular with roses). These are very damaging to soil life.
● Use insecticides only when necessary, and even then, use the least damaging product available. Many of these products move into the soil and interfere with the invisible soil life.
● If you can, begin a compost pile or purchase a compost bin. Home compost is one of the very best ingredients you can add to your soil. Home compost helps significantly in disease suppression, increases beneficial microorganisms, improves soil structure and texture, aids nutrient retention, and helps with nematode suppression. There are many fallen leaves from deciduous trees, and these are excellent additions to a compost bin.
● Since this is a big planting month, be sure that before you put a plant into the ground, you have considered the soil and are doing all you can to improve it and protect its health.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | What Kind of Soil Should You Use? + How to Prepare Your Soil with Suzanne Hetrick
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Fellow Gardeners,
The information, dates, and techniques in this November gardening checklist are as accurate as I can currently offer. I have cared for, nurtured, and observed tens of thousands of plants across all seasons during the past three decades. With the help of many gardening friends, I have attempted to offer some useful information to help you with your own garden on these pages. Gardening is sharing. Any corrections, comments, or suggestions are appreciated and will improve future information.
Table of Contents:
General Gardening Info
November is a great time of year to add some soil care to your gardening checklist. Taking care of the soil is the best way to ensure your garden stays healthy and maintains a balance of nutrients for all of your plants. Be grateful for the birds and opossums you encounter this time of year, as they’re essential for controlling so many garden pests. Some birds will even feed on pests in the ground, helping you take care of the soil.
Annuals:
December is another great month for adding cool-season annuals into the garden. The soil is still relatively warm in Southern California, but winter temperatures are cooling off, making this another perfect garden planting month.
● Just a few cool-season annuals to get planted now include pansy, viola, stock, Iceland poppy, linaria, English daisy, alyssum, calendula, snapdragon, ornamental cabbage and kale, bedding cyclamen, cineraria, and primrose.
● There is still a chance of some warm days and drying Santa Ana winds, so keep newly planted annuals well-watered until they are thoroughly rooted.
● Because of their rapid growth and heavy flowering potential, annuals need more fertilizing than most other plants in the garden.
● Keep deadheading (removing spent flowers) from annuals to help them continue blooming abundantly.
● Keep weeding.
Geraniums:
● This group includes ivy geraniums, zonal geraniums (also called common geraniums), Martha geraniums, and the various scented geraniums, but does not include true geraniums (sometimes called hardy geraniums), which are discussed under perennials.
● Ivy and zonal types will usually continue to bloom throughout the fall and winter. Periodically remove spent flowers to encourage more bloom.
● Continue fertilizing, except most scented types, with a balanced fertilizer. The dosage, however, can be reduced by half through the next several cool months.
● Continue a progressive pruning back of Martha types now. Don’t cut them all at once. You should have pruned one-third of the plants back last month. Prune back the second-third this month.
Sweet Peas:
● Seeds are in good supply now. This is a perfect time to plant seeds of all varieties. Be sure to mix in a few of the early-blooming (also called “short-day”) varieties that will bloom earlier than the others. These early varieties include ‘Winter Elegance’ (our favorite) and ‘Early Multiflora’.
Learn more by watching: World Class Sweet Peas with Steve Hampson + How to Grow Sweet Peas with Steve Hampson
Wildflowers:
● This may be the best month for planting California wildflower seeds. Spread them just before a rainy period, mixed with a couple of cups of clean, coarse sand. If possible, check the weather forecasts and wait for an approaching storm. Broadcast California wildflower seeds just before the rains begin. Be sure that the area is well-prepared before broadcasting the seeds. After spreading the seeds, rake the area lightly.
● Weeds will easily overwhelm California native wildflower seeds if not kept under control. Within a couple of weeks of the wildflowers (and the weeds) sprouting, start weeding. Pull or hoe them early and regularly to keep them under control.
Fruiting Plants
Any cane berries in your garden can be pruned this month. Grapes don’t need any pruning, but they will need some disease prevention applied in December. And if you’ve been wondering when, December is the perfect month to get strawberries planted into your winter garden in Southern California.
Cane Berries:
● This is the first month in which pruning cane berries can be accomplished. These include blackberries, boysenberries, loganberry, and some raspberries (see the exception below). Cut the canes that bore fruit earlier this year to the ground. Do not prune the new canes that sprouted from the soil this spring; they will produce the next season’s crop.
● Next month, you should prune the new low-chill, subtropical raspberries (including the popular “Bababerry”).
Strawberries:
● This is the absolute best season for strawberry planting in California (if you can find them). This early, you can start from six packs.
● See if you can find bare-root strawberry plants, they’re the best for Southern California. If you find them, if they are not already pre-chilled, wrap them in a couple of moist paper towels and put them into the refrigerator for three to four weeks. Then plant them right away.
● Pinch out the first two or three sets of flowers that your young plants will produce to encourage better root development and a more robust overall plant.
Learn more by watching: How to Grow the Best Strawberries with Sarah Smith
Grapes:
● Do not fertilize anymore until next year.
● Many varieties (especially one called ‘Fantasy’) can offer terrific fall color to the garden. This may be more noticeable in colder inland gardens.
● Reduce or eliminate irrigations, especially along the coast, to help the vines enter their winter dormancy.
● Powdery mildew may be on the foliage now. However, treatment this late in the season is rarely of any value.
● Thanksgiving Day should be your first application of dormant disease control (assuming the foliage has dropped). This should be a Copper Sulfate product. This is an organic product. Applying a dormant disease spray should be an annual chore, repeated every year to control some very common fungal diseases. The timing of this application is the most important of them all. Apply this application at the “pink-bud-stage.” This is the point in which the buds have swollen and may even be “pink” but have not yet opened.
Shrubs:
Be cautious when pruning hedges during the winter in California. At this time of the year, hard pruning on many varieties will leave the plant scarred for most of the winter. For fall and winter interest in California, plant a few shrubs with interesting fall effects in the garden. Plants with abundant, colorful berries or fruit now include cotoneaster, heavenly bamboo, hollies, persimmon, pomegranate, pyracantha, and toyon.
Camellias:
● Most Sasanqua camellias are beginning their full bloom period now. Feed Sasanqua varieties after their bloom cycle has finished, never before or during.
● Japanese Camellias are done with their “growth” cycle for this year. They have now set their flower buds for next spring. Most of the plant’s energy for the remainder of the year is going toward next year’s flowers. No need to apply any general fertilizer to camellias until after their blooms have finished, sometime next year.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | How to Plant & Maintain a Camellia
Gardenias:
● These are getting ready to withdraw a bit through the winter months. Don’t be surprised if several yellow leaves are developing. This is quite normal.
● Gardenias do not like hot, dry winds. If these occur, do what you can to shield the plant. A light misting and syringe of the leaves also helps.
Learn more by watching: How to Successfully Grow Gardenias with Sarah Smith
Hydrangeas:
● Contrary to some references, do not prune hydrangeas this late in the year. Most hydrangeas bloom on one-year-old stems. On these varieties pruning now will eliminate most of next year’s flowers.
● If you want to try to get blue or lavender flowers on your otherwise pink plant, start applying Aluminum Sulfate to the soil now. White-flowered varieties will not be affected, and not all pinks will be affected the same.
Roses:
● Many roses are still blooming very well this time of the year in Southern California, especially if you did a “summer pruning” in early August.
● Consider leaving the faded flowers on the plant after the last big bloom of the season rather than cutting them off as you usually would. They will often set very attractive seed heads, called “rose hips,” especially old-fashioned varieties. These hips can be quite colorful and are an attractive addition to the fall garden.
● Powdery mildew may begin appearing again on some varieties. If practical, remove infested leaves by hand. If the infestation is minor, it may be best to let it go at this time of year.
● Feed roses either at half strength or not at all. Also, reduce irrigation as much as possible. Allow the plants to slow down and “harden-off” before the annual pruning in January.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant, Care and Prune Rose Play List
Wisterias:
● No need to do any pruning now. You’ll make your final pruning of the year next month.
● The foliage of wisterias will be looking a bit dry and even showing some tip burn. No need to worry; this is normal for right now.
● Watering needs are minimal now, and there is no need to fertilize.
● If you garden in a cool, inland location, your plant may show a bit of golden-yellow autumn color before it begins to drop its foliage next month.
Trees:
Late December is a good time to prune most trees (except for tender sub-tropical trees like Ficus, Coral Tree, Avocado, Citrus, etc.). Few birds are nesting in trees during this season, the sap flow is reduced, and the pruning will help strong winter winds pass through the tree’s canopy with minor damage. Enjoy the fall colors that are looking great now.
● Certain deciduous trees are now showing their fall colors. If you are shopping for this sort of tree, this is a good time to order a tree or make some notes on the varieties you like. The best trees for fall color in Southern California include hybrid Liquidambars, Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo), Modesto Ash (Fraxinus), Chinese Pistache (Pistachia),
● This is a perfect time to prune coniferous trees like pines and cypress since their pests, various bark beetles, are not active this time of the year.
● Stake, or re-stake, small and newly planted trees now to prevent wind damage in the next few months.
Deciduous Fruit Trees:
● You can reduce watering now. Continue monitoring the soil moisture, but the trees are using less water this time of the year. Mature trees very likely will not need any irrigation.
● Most varieties will begin showing a lot of yellow or drying leaves by now. Leaf drop will be most noticeable after a rain shower or a windy period. Depending upon the weather, trees may have no leaves left or still a moderate amount by the end of the month.
● Some late-producing apple and pear varieties will still have some fruit on the branches.
● Around Thanksgiving Day should be your first of three applications of dormant disease control. This is a liquid spray product containing either Copper Sulfate or Lime-sulfur (do not use Lime-sulfur on Apricots). Both of these are generally considered organic products. Applying these products should be an annual chore, repeated every year to avoid infestations of such diseases as Peach Leaf Curl, Shothole Fungus, Apple Scab, Brown Rot, and many others.
Citrus:
● Many tangerines (also called mandarins) will be ready for harvest this month. Check the flavor of one or two first. If the sugar level is high, pick some more. If not, wait a bit longer.
● Citrus may already have a few yellow leaves, especially in inland gardens. Don’t worry; these are warm-weather plants and suffer a bit during the next few months of cool temperatures.
● Only feed potted citrus. Give them a very light application to keep the plants a bit greener through the cool months.
● Be careful with irrigation now. Warm, dry weather may require irrigation; otherwise, the cooler temperatures at this time of year suggest careful irrigation.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant, Care and Prune Citrus Play List
Avocados:
● Don’t be alarmed by a lot of leaf drop on mature plants. Avocados produce a lot of leaf litter nearly year-round and usually “molt” or exchange a good deal of their foliage each year. This is a normal condition.
● Irrigate as needed to keep the soil moist but not wet.
● It’s too late to plant an avocado successfully this year. Being sub-tropical plants, avocados prefer to be planted during the long, warm part of the year.
● California’s fall avocado fruit season is here. Some late-season fruiting varieties, like Fuerte, Pinkerton, and Zutano, may be ready to harvest. Remember that avocado fruit does not ripen on the tree; it must be removed and should ripen indoors at room temperature.
● Avocados are done putting on any new growth this year.
● Do not feed at all this month.
● Be sure to keep a very thick blanket of mulch, compost, or fallen leaves under mature avocados at all times. Avocados need a cool root-run for good health.
Learn more by watching: Edible Gardening: How to Grow Avocados in Southern California with Sarah Smith
Subtropical Fruits:
● Some of these will still be blooming and looking good, although others will be declining, depending on the species.
● The temperatures are beginning to drop, and the days are getting shorter, so it is time to stop fertilizing altogether. Let these plants harden off before late fall and winter. Eliminating fertilizer and cutting back on water helps the plants get ready for the months ahead.
● It is too late to plant for this year. Although “fall is for planting” in Southern California, these plants are an exception. Wait until late spring or early summer of next year.
● Except for the ‘Beaumont’ variety, keep checking for fallen Macadamia nuts. Pick them off the ground weekly, which may continue for up to three months. The ‘Beaumont’ variety will be picked directly off the tree in March.
Perennials:
Like October and November, December is also a critical month in the perennial garden. Winter is a great time for planting blooming perennials in California.
● Winter is a fantastic time to get started on planting your perennial garden in Southern California. Plant right away, and these plants will establish themselves through winter for great spring blooms. As you shop for these plants, they will be finishing their blooming period and this will worry novices. Experienced gardeners know not to worry about this, and they install most of their perennials and shrubs over the next couple of months.
● There are a couple of frost tender sub-tropicals like pentas and scaevola that should not be planted this month.
● Perennials will not need much, if any, fertilizing during these cool months. Exceptions might be a few container plants and the cool-season perennials mentioned below.
● Like October, this is a great month to review your perennials for potential replacements or upgrades. Many perennials are short-term plants and lose their vigor or form quickly and should be re-planted now. These include (with an approximate useful lifespan) columbine (2-3 years), delphinium (1-2 years), euryops daisy (2-3 years), Felicia daisy (2-3 years), foxglove (1-2 years), lavender (3-5 years), Marguerite daisy (2-3 years), nemesia (1 year), oriental poppy (1-3 years), pelargonium (2-3 years), penstemon (3 years), phygelius (3-5 years), scabiosa (2-3 years) and verbena (varies).
● Several perennials are now slowing down or going to sleep for the cool months ahead. You can cut back these varieties pretty hard right now to help the garden look tidier. These include achillea (yarrow), aster (perennial types, if they have finished blooming), baby’s breath (Gypsophila), most campanula, columbine (Aquilegia), coral bells (Heuchera), coreopsis, daylily (Hemerocallis), dianthus (perennial types including carnation), gaillardia, most geranium (true geranium), goldenrod (Solidago), Japanese anemone (when they finish blooming), lamb’s ears (Stachys), lions tail (Leonotis), matilija poppy (Rhomneya), monkshood (Aconitum), oregano (ornamental types), oriental poppy, penstemon, phlomis, phygelius, rudbeckia, Russian sage (Perovskia), most salvia (sage), scabiosa (pincushion flower), shasta daisy, stokesia (stokes aster), valerian (Centranthus), verbena (perennial types), and veronica (perennial types).
● Some other perennials don’t like a hard cutting-back, at least not now, and should only be trimmed lightly to shape them and remove any old or dead growth. These include agastache, gaura, lamium, lavender (Lavandula), nemesia (perennial types), oriental poppy, pelargonium (ivy’s, zonal’s, and Martha’s), penstemon, and thyme.
● Some perennials disappear entirely from sight during the cool winter months ahead and then reappear in spring. Don’t cut these back until the foliage is nearly completely dehydrated, and then you can cut the tops off completely near the soil level. Be sure to mark where these are in the garden to avoid accidentally damaging them when cultivating or digging in the area. Some of these completely herbaceous perennials include asclepias – native varieties (milkweed), bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis), caladium, calla (colored types), coneflower (Echinacea), dahlia (tuberous perennial types), chocolate cosmos, kniphofia (red hot poker), liatris, true lilies (Lilium), monkshood (Aconitum), obedient plant (Physostegia) and thalictrum (meadow rue).
● A few perennials are cool-season or winter garden plants in Southern California and are now beginning to bloom and grow actively. If you didn’t do it last month, prune and shape these a bit now. Feed them a bit too, and they’ll be even better. These include alstroemeria (except in cold inland gardens), armeria, euryops daisy, forget-me-not (myosotis), hellebore, Marguerite daisy, and viola (perennial types).
● A few perennials are sub-tropical and frost tender. These should not be trimmed now, or winter damage may occur. Wait until early spring to prune these: begonias, heliotrope, impatiens, lamium, pentas (starflower), and plectranthus.
● Some perennials don’t need any annual cutting back at all. Just groom these a bit now by removing any dead leaves, dead stems, old foliage, etc., and let them keep going. These include armeria, oriental poppy, and statice (Limonium).
● Removing spent or old flowers regularly, especially from cool-season plants, will help them produce more flowers.
● Some perennials are actually biennials (or at least behave as such in our climate). These include Canterbury bells (Campanula medium), hollyhock (Alcea), Queen Anne’s lace (Ammi majus), most foxglove (Digitalis), and most delphiniums. Don’t wait until next spring, which beginners do. These must be fall planted to ensure spring blooms, and this is your last chance.
● Cool-season weeds are germinating and growing quickly. Control them quickly.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | How to Use Annuals vs. Perennials with Lynn Hillman
Clematis:
● Many clematis offer a heavy second bloom spike during the late summer or early fall. Yours may be finishing this second bloom cycle now.
● The foliage of your plants may look a bit ragged and be showing some dryness at their bases. The canes are also often tangled at this late date in the year. Resist the temptation to prune now. Wait until about January for most varieties.
● No need to apply any more fertilizer this year.
● Reduce irrigations significantly or even completely to help the plants enter into at least a brief dormant period.
Poinsettias:
● If you are attempting to re-color your poinsettia for Christmas in California, keep up the regimen of fourteen hours of complete darkness per day, five to six hours of strong indirect light, and high phosphorus fertilizer.
● If you are growing poinsettias outdoors in Southern California, protect the plant from high winds to avoid breaking the stems.
● No need to fertilize anymore this year.
California Native Plants:
● Planting now through February is the ideal time. Many California natives go into a summer dormant or slow-down period (an adaptation to our dry summers). To establish these plants, they should be planted in the fall or early winter, at the onset of cool weather and rains, and the beginning of their active growing season.
● Cut back and divide Matilija poppies, if necessary.
● Also see “Wildflower” for information about native wildflower seeds.
Learn more by watching: California Native Plants for Your Garden with James Maxwell + California Native Plants with Sarah Smith
Fuchsias:
● Do not fertilize this month.
● If you are in a coastal garden with minimal frost, this is the time to cut your fuchsias back. Fuchsias bloom on their new growth tips, so pruning is critical to a well-shaped plant and lots of blooms. Generally, fuchsias are cut back about ½ to 2/3 of their size. Gardeners in cooler inland locations will wait until mid-February to perform their annual cut-back.
● If repotting is needed, the best time to do this is at the same time as the annual cut-back.
Groundcovers:
● Cool-season groundcovers are growing and blooming well. Common examples of these are African daisies (Osteospermum) and South African daisies (Gazania). If you didn’t do it last month, feed these varieties now. A granular organic fertilizer works exceptionally well for groundcovers, particularly on slopes.
● If you didn’t do it last month and want to do a heavy cutting-back of your cool-season groundcover, do it soon. This will reduce the thatch and renew their vigor. Fertilize after the cut-back to ensure a quick recovery.
● Warm-season groundcovers are settling down for the winter now. No fertilizing, minimal irrigations, and no pruning at this time of the year.
● California native groundcover plants, like Ceanothus, Baccharis and Arctostaphyllos (Manzanita) are also beginning to grow nicely.
● This is also a good month to plant these natives.
Learn more by watching: How to Plant & Grow Groundcover with Dalia Brunner
Bulbs, rhizomes, tubers, etc.:
● A few fall-blooming bulbs that will still likely be in flower in Orange County include fall-blooming crocus, Nerine, Oxalis hirta, Sternbergia, and Zepheranthes.
● Buy Hippeastrum bulbs (usually mistakenly called “Amaryllis”) now while they are in good supply.
● Although not usually considered along with bulbs, Bedding cyclamen are excellent for planting now as small plants. They will provide continuous blooms from now through March or April of next year.
● Lift tuberose and dahlia tubers now. Store them in a cool, dark location in barely moist peat moss or planter mix until re-planting time next March through May.
● Plant most spring-flowering bulbs now, except for tulips, hyacinth, crocus, and some alliums, which are planted next month when the soil is even cooler. Bulbs that you can plant now include anemones, Dutch iris, ranunculus, freesia, narcissus, daffodil, Muscari, Iphieon, Babiana, and Chasmanthe. Some, but not all, varieties of the following bulbs are also planted now: lilies, gladiolus, hippeastrum, and amaryllis.
Learn more by watching: Fall Planted Bulbs for Southern California Gardens with Sarah Smith
Bearded Iris:
● Bearded iris are essentially evergreen in our climate. Ignore what most national gardening books and websites may say about them being cut back and going dormant in the winter.
● You may be able to see the beginnings of new growth slowly pushing out while last year’s growth begins to fade away.
● If you are growing the new “repeat-blooming” varieties, they may be blooming again. Keep feeding these re-bloomers, but reduce the dose to about half of what you gave them in spring and summer. Older “once-blooming” varieties can have their feeding eliminated for the rest of the year.
● With winter rains, weeds will be sprouting and growing abundantly. Be sure to keep them under control.
Dahlias (tuberous types):
● Dahlias should now be allowed to go to sleep for the winter. Withhold all fertilizing and reduce the watering.
● If they are already dormant, you may want to dig and store the tubers now. Store them in a cool, dark location in barely moist peat moss or planter mix until re-planting timeabout next March.
● Along the immediate coast, they may be reluctant to go dormant. Force the issue by withholding all irrigations now.
● Don’t worry about any powdery mildew at this late date in the season.
Learn more by watching: Lew Whitney's Secrets to Growing and Maintaining Dahlias + How to Grow & Maintain Dahlias with Steve Hampson
Cannas:
● It would not be unusual for your cannas to still have a few flowers. Enjoy them. Cannas are one of the longest blooming plants in a garden.
● No need to fertilize during the cool winter months.
● If the plants are looking a bit tattered and tired you can cut the tops down to 4-5 inches above the soil and new growth will begin. If not, wait another month or two.
Tuberous Begonias:
● Plants are done for the year. They may want to keep growing, especially if the weather has been mild, but if you want to grow the same tubers again next year, don’t let them.
● If you were drying the plants off over the past month, they will look pretty sad now. Gently lift the entire plant out of the soil, tuber and all. Lay it in a sunny spot to dry off for a couple of days. After the soil is thoroughly dry, remove the stem (it should almost fall off) and pull off most of the roots as well.
● Store the tubers, not touching, in an open box with dry peat moss, perlite, or sawdust. Place the box in a cool, dark location until it’s time to sprout them again next March.
Tropicals & Subtropicals:
● Some of these will still be blooming and looking good, although others will be declining. It is not unusual for many of these to have a big fall flower burst now. You may have color now on plumerias, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and ginger.
● The temperatures are beginning to drop, and the days are getting shorter, so it is time to stop fertilizing completely. Let these plants harden off now, before winter. Reducing water also helps these plants get ready for the cool months ahead.
● It is way too late to plant tropicals this year. Although “fall is for planting,” these are the exceptions. Wait until late spring or early summer of next year.
Foliage Plants
Most foliage plants like ferns and ornamental grasses go dormant for winter in Southern California. It's time to reduce watering for both grasses and ferns, and you can tidy up grasses a little, but don’t cut back ferns at all.
Ferns:
● Reduce irrigations, but be alert to unseasonably hot, dry, or windy weather.
● Other than potted plants, which you can continue to fertilize at half strength, there is no need to fertilize again this year.
● Although perhaps tempting, don’t do any extensive cutting back, transplanting, or dividing. Most ferns enjoy warm weather, and these tasks are better performed at the beginning of their growth period next year.
Ornamental Grasses:
● Many ornamental grasses have now developed seed heads. These seed heads can be quite ornamental and are one of the most ornamental aspects of these plants. These flowers can be beautiful in the low, soft, fall light, especially in the evening and early morning.
● The foliage for many species of drought-tolerant grasses is beginning to dry back quite a bit now in Southern California. This drying foliage, especially when combined with the seed heads waving overhead, is an important part of many garden designs at this time of year. Do not cut these drying grasses back until you have thoroughly enjoyed the fall show.
● A few ornamental grasses may want to re-seed either in your garden or even into adjacent wild areas of California. If this is an issue, prune these seed heads off before the heads are fully ripe to prevent the seeds from dispersing.
● You can use the dry flowers of some of these grasses in fall arrangements. Consider these as a “fall” version of a spring flower bouquet.
Learn more by watching: Low Water Ornamental Grasses with James Maxwell
Vegetables and Herbs
California is lucky to have the opportunity for fall and winter vegetable gardening. There’s lots of cool-season vegetable garden crops that will thrive through a California winter and provide you with fresh produce right through to the spring.
Vegetables:
● This is another perfect month to plant cool-season vegetables in California. Give up on warm-season plants hanging on and give this valuable space to the array of cool-season vegetables available now.
● This is still an excellent time to plant garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks from sets (tiny bulbs) or seeds. Get garlic and bulbing onions in the ground no later than the middle of the month. If growing onions or garlic be sure to only select short-day varieties in Southern California.
● Some of the winter fruits and vegetables you can plant from transplants or seeds in Southern California are arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mesclun mix, mustard, onions, parsley, peas, and spinach. From seed, plant beets, carrots, favas, parsnips, radishes, rutabaga, and turnips.
● Vegetables like beets, carrots, chard, radish, and turnips will grow all year round, even in winter in California. All but chard are planted from seed only.
● Putting in successive plantings of many vegetables a couple of weeks apart will ensure a constant, uninterrupted supply for the kitchen.
● Cole crops like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc., are often attacked by caterpillars at this time. If only on a few plants, handpicking may be enough. Otherwise, use BT, a safe, effective, and organic solution.
● Horseradish root, if harvested now, will have its best flavor.
● Begin mounding any potatoes that you planted last month.
● Weeds are sprouting prolifically now. Keep them under control.
● During warm spells or drying, Santa Ana winds keep the garden well watered.
● Since most annual vegetables are shallow-rooted and quick growing, feed them regularly with a well-balanced organic fertilizer.
● If you started growing Jicama in the heat of the California summer, it should be just about ready to harvest and enjoy.
Learn more by watching: The Best Vegetables to Grow in the Cool Fall Season with Sarah Smith + Edible Gardening Series Cool Season Vegetable Gardening with Suzanne Hetrick
Herbs:
● This is still a perfect time to plant many cool-season and other herbs.
● Cool-season and some other herbs that can be fall-planted include anise, arugula, borage, chervil, chives, cilantro, comfrey, dill, fennel, feverfew, garlic chives, lavender, lemongrass, lovage, parsley, rosemary, salad burnet, sorrel, tansy.
● Basil (except African Blue Basil) is done for this year. Give up the struggle to keep it going.
General Gardening Info
Luckily the cooler temperatures in winter means this is usually a quiet time for pests in Southern California vegetable and flower gardens. If your garden is opossum and wildlife friendly, you’ll have even less bugs to worry about.
Beneficial Insects:
● Encourage opossums.
● Many migrating birds are now moving into or through the area. Encourage these by providing cover, berries, and water. Birds can be especially helpful in the garden. Many birds, like warblers and bushtits, will help control foliage pests and caterpillars. Flycatchers and Phoebe will catch dozens of flying insects every day. Mockingbirds, robins, and scrub jays will feed on soil insects like grubs and cutworms.
Pests & Diseases:
● Ants can be particularly troublesome this time of year.
Learn more by watching: How to Identify & Eliminate Common Garden Pests
Places to Visit:
● Gardens that look terrific almost any time of the year include Sherman Library and Gardens (Corona del Mar), The Fullerton Arboretum (Fullerton), Los Angeles Arboretum (Arcadia), Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens (San Marino), and San Diego Botanical Gardens (Encinitas).
Records, Catalogs, Books, and Organizations:
● This is the time to drop gentle hints about what kind of Christmas gardener gifts you might like this Christmas. Easy Christmas gift ideas for gardeners are: a subscription to a gardening magazine, a favorite gardening book, or a gift certificate to Roger’s Gardens. The more practical gardener ideas could be new pruning shears, a nice pair of goatskin gloves, a redwood potting table, a fancy garden composter, or DeWitt gardening tools. .
● Keep making notes in your journal, especially about what you planted, cut, divided, pruned, fertilized, sprayed, and enjoyed last month, and this during the busy fall gardening season.
Soil Care:
● A thick layer of organic mulch, averaging about two inches, should be maintained on top of the soil just about year-round. Add additional mulch as needed to maintain this level. This is a great month to apply mulch over all soil types in your garden.
● Applied now, this thick layer of mulch will moderate the soil temperatures, reduce weed germination, and significantly improve soil life and quality.
● If you have been considering inoculating your soil with beneficial mycorrhizae, this is a good month of the year to do so. The soil temperatures are just right for quick establishment. Inoculation can be done quickly and easily in established areas by using mycorrhizae tablets either during planting or thereafter. In moist soil, poke a hole near the plant with a ½” or ¾” rod or stick. Drop a tablet into the hole and push it in again with the stick.
● We do not suggest the use of very high-analysis fertilizers in a garden, especially phosphorus. Examples of fertilizers to avoid are synthetic versions with formulations like 10-55-10, 10-30-10, etc. We don’t even suggest the popular 15-30-15 formula. These formulations will inhibit or even destroy much of the soil life that is so vital to healthy, sustainable soil. Use organic fertilizers.
● We also suggest that you not use soil-applied systemic fertilizer/insecticide combinations (especially popular with roses). These are very damaging to soil life.
● Use insecticides only when necessary, and even then, use the least damaging product available. Many of these products move into the soil and interfere with the invisible soil life.
● If you can, begin a compost pile or purchase a compost bin. Home compost is one of the very best ingredients you can add to your soil. Home compost helps significantly in disease suppression, increases beneficial microorganisms, improves soil structure and texture, aids nutrient retention, and helps with nematode suppression. There are many fallen leaves from deciduous trees, and these are excellent additions to a compost bin.
● Since this is a big planting month, be sure that before you put a plant into the ground, you have considered the soil and are doing all you can to improve it and protect its health.
Learn more by watching: Gardening 101 Series | What Kind of Soil Should You Use? + How to Prepare Your Soil with Suzanne Hetrick