How Does Her Garden Grow?

Lili Singer is different from you and me. She knows what a redgum lerp psyllid is, and we don’t.

Actually, anyone who reads the current issue of Singer’s newsletter, “The Southern California Gardener,” will discover that the redgum lerp psyllid is an insect with piercing, sucking mouthparts that weaken “one of our grandest and most popular trees,” the red gum.

Since I am the botanical equivalent of a serial killer (and a probable lerp magnet, as well), I made a recent pilgrimage to Southern California’s wonderfully knowledgeable garden guru.

Not surprisingly, Singer, who grew up in Reseda, lives in a Van Nuys home with a garden to die for.

The house has hardwood floors and a light-drenched sun room, but what really attracted Singer to the 1/3-acre double lot was “that it already had a garden that was so gorgeous.”

“In the Valley, generally we tend to have clay-ey soil,” Singer says.

But weeds slip right out of the crumbly soil in Singer’s backyard. She takes little credit for that.

“The previous owners did 10 years of organic gardening, including adding tons of homemade compost to the soil,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to work with. I just hope I can respect it and keep it going, I’m reaping the benefits of all their hard work--happy plants!”

The previous owners left Singer with such horticultural amenities as two large raised beds and a patch of Swiss chard “that never goes away.”

The mature trees were another draw.

“This absolutely sacred piece of land I live on has 10 citrus trees, a big old walnut tree, a brown turkey fig and an avocado tree that makes the most delicious fuerte avocados I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

But enough about Singer’s “little park,” as she calls it. What about ours?

A horticultural consultant as well as a writer, Singer preaches realism. Nothing is going to change the mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers of Southern California’s Mediterranean climate.

“The best way to succeed is to duplicate the native habitat of the plant,” Singer advises.

That means becoming familiar with what grows well here. Start with the “Sunset Western Garden Book” and Robert Perry’s “Landscape Plants for Western Regions,” she counsels.

This is especially important for people who have only gardened in other parts of the country, “because everything’s so different here.”

In other words, what works for Martha Stewart in her Connecticut garden won’t necessarily work for you in North Hills.

“Right now, all the major media are telling people to plant peas,” Singer says. “We plant peas in September. If you plant peas now, you’ll have a really lovely crop of powdery mildew.”

But just because our summers are brutally hot doesn’t mean your garden has to be wall-to-wall ice plants.

Singer and horticulturist Bart O’Brien of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden is giving a seminar July 10 at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge on “Colorful Plants That Beat the Heat.” You can subscribe to Singer’s newsletter, which appears six times a year, by calling (310) 396-3083.

Singer has a final tip for making sure no grotesque plant tragedies occur on your watch.

“Look at your neighbors’ gardens,” she suggests. When you see a beautiful one that’s thriving, introduce yourself to the owners. If you brought a plate of homemade cookies, it wouldn’t hurt.

In return, you might get some plant cuttings that eventually become the stars of your garden.