Plant Care

Fall is the perfect time to plant native plants, like this California fuchsia (Epilobium). Photo: Marie Narlock Maintenance and prevention Reduce irrigation times significantly as day length shortens and plant growth slows or stops.

Hydrangea. Photo: Annie Spratt, Unsplash This section covers flowering trees and shrubs that have been introduced to Marin and other California counties as a result of European contact. These tend to enter dormancy when days shorten and temperatures cool.

Orange County averages about 13 inches of rain per year (Metropolitan Water District of Orange County), which puts us a few inches away from being a desert, which averages ten inches of rain per year. Recent drought years have focused attention on the amount of water we use in our landscape.

Join us for our Fall Garden Fair, held at our Martial Cottle Park Demonstration Garden in San Jose as part of the Martial Cottle Park Fall Festival. Admission: Free.

When to plant: January–March Harvest window: June–October, depending on variety Fertilization: Nitrogen in spring and fall, additional applications based on tree age, health, and soil quality Dormant Pruning (January–February) to encourage vigor; Summer pruning (post-harvest) to control vigor.

Erik Mclean, Unsplash Water new plants frequently, especially during hot, dry weather. Wet the root ball directly; avoid ponding water around the trunk and avoid wetting the trunk. Allow the soil surface to dry between waterings.

Most plants are a pleasure to grow. Fortunately, there are only a few to avoid. Here's how invasive plants and plants that have been treated cause problems. Scotch broom currently infests millions of acres throughout California.

Alstroemeria aurea 'Saturne'. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Perennials are flowering plants that live longer than two seasons. Some are evergreen; others die back at the end of the flowering season and then regrow from the same roots the following year. Perennials are dependable and easy.

Create new planting areas by sheet mulching over weed patches or unwanted lawn. Photo: Courtesy UC Regents Maintenance and prevention Mulch bare soil to hold in moisture, keep out weeds, and prevent compaction by hard rains. Clean up the garden before the rains begin.

Toyon. Photo: PxHere Native plants are plants that grew in Marin and other California counties before European contact. Non-native plants are plants that have been introduced to Marin and other California counties as a result of European contact.