Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition) by Welsh Pat

Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition) by Welsh Pat

Author:Welsh, Pat [Welsh, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 2010-07-01T00:00:00+00:00


Perennials. Be on the alert for interesting summer-blooming perennials at your nursery. More are for sale in June than at almost any other time of year because many perennials bloom in June. Some of the best are sold only when flowers are on the plant, so now’s your chance to find some treasures. But be wary of buying plants that are not right for your climate zone or the conditions in your garden. I often overhear gardeners say they prefer English garden style to any other, but if that sounds like you, why not create the atmosphere you love while using drought-resistant plants that do well here? Some of our best so-called “perennial” gardens are not English-style borders at all, but whole gardens of drought-resistant shrubs, perennials, and bulbs native to hot dry climates in our own and other countries, often intertwined with winding paths or dry stream beds. And here we don’t stick with perennials that die down in winter; we freely mix in flowering shrubs like lavender and cape mallow (Anisodontea x hypomandarum). Thirty years ago cape mallow debuted on the garden stage with a shape like a blimp; today’s examples like Anisodontea ‘Elegant Lady’ have larger flowers on a compact shrub and a more graceful shape. Plant breeders eager to catch onto new trends are finding tough, water-thrifty wild flowers from dry areas of our own and other countries. Western sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii ‘Sierra Sundrop’), and the gray-foliaged Australian strawflower (Chrysocephalum apiculatum ‘Flambe’), for example, will smile through heat and drought in full sun. Two new pimpernels, Anagallis monelli ‘Wildcat Blue’ and A. arvensis ‘Wildcat Orange’, began life as weedy European wildflowers, but now grab center stage. Improved varieties of kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos) ‘Big Red’, ‘Pink Joey’, ‘Harmony’, or any of the ‘Bush Gems Hybrids’ are colorful sun-lovers from open clearings in eucalyptus forests in Australia. They’re happiest in fast-draining soils and don’t mind going dry between irrigations. (Mulch them, control slugs and snails, but withhold phosphorus—Aussie plants don’t like it. Cut spent blooms to the ground now to encourage another long-lasting wave of bloom.)

Other heat-resistant plants available now are the self-cleaning Calibrachoa hybrids, ‘Super-bells’ and ‘Million Bells’. These need regular moisture but thrive in large patio containers. And among old staples, look for purple cone-flower (Echinacea purpurea), Scaevola ‘New Wonder’ (best in coastal zones), Verbena bonariensis, and Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, a superior garden variety of black-eyed Susan. R. Laciniata ‘Hortensia’ (golden glow) is difficult to find but especially useful for hot interior gardens. Its yellow flowers with yellow centers continue to bloom right through October. Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Yellow Queen’ also isn’t easy to find but worth hunting for; it blooms into September and is excellent in the interior. For shade, try the graceful meadow rue (Thalictrum) and Bergenia ciliate, but bait them for snails. ‘Victoria Falls’ iris is a fine repeat bloomer with tall flowers. Add charm to the garden by creating little lawns in flat areas and filling small spaces between rocks or stepping-stones with chamomile, creeping oregano (Origanum laevigatum and O.



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