Shop for Plants, Check Fertilizer
Fans of fall color should do their nursery shopping now. In Southern California most plants turn in early December, so now you can see how colorful a particular plant is. Several trees reliably color up, including ginkgo, liquidambar and pistache.
Fertilize things planted earlier this fall. The rule is to begin fertilizing about two weeks after planting.
Don’t use just any fertilizer at this time of year. To keep flowers and vegetables growing strong as the weather cools off, use a liquid fertilizer containing the fast-acting nitrate form of nitrogen (find this information on the back of the label), which works best in cool temperatures.
-- From the 2001 Los Angeles Times Garden Calendar
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GARDEN CALENDAR
* “In Search of New Plant-Derived Medicines: The Life of a Globe-Trotting BioProspector,” a presentation by James Miller, research scientist with the Missouri Botanical Garden, 7-9 p.m. Thursday Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Fee: $7. (909) 625-8767.
* Talk on “Sudden Oak Death” by UC Berkeley Professor Matteo Garbelotto, 7:30-9 p.m. Thursday, Soka University of America, 26800 W. Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. Free. Reservations are required. (818) 878-3471.
* Class in “The Medieval Art of Making Ledgers,” 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Fee: $41. Preregistration is required. (909) 625-8767.
