Prune These Perennials to the Ground
* Japanese anemone, liatris and physostegia are three late-flowering perennials that will have finished by now. Cut all three completely to the ground if you want them to appear fresh as spring when they resprout.
* Be prepared for fierce Santa Ana winds. Though these winds from the north or east may be warm or cold, they are always dry and gusty and come from a direction that trees are not accustomed to. As a result, trees often take a beating.
You can help by thinning some of the mid-size branches so the wind can whistle through. The dryness is less of a problem. Plants may temporarily wilt because they can’t replace the lost moisture fast enough, but they will quickly recover.
From the 2001 Los Angeles
Times Garden Calendar
* “Fresh Holiday Wreath” workshop with Janelle Wiley of Sherman Gardens, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday at Fullerton Arboretum, Associated Road at Yorba Linda Boulevard, Fullerton. Preregistration required. Fee: $35, includes materials. (714) 278-3579.
* Talk on rose pruning by Bill Robinson, instructor and volunteer rose garden curator, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday at the Arboretum of Los Angeles County, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, (626) 821-3222. Fee $15 for members, $18 for nonmembers.
* Class on “10 Top Secrets for Great Gardens on the Cheap,” 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, offered by Cal State Northridge Extension, 18111 Nordhoff St. Fee is $49. For information: (818) 677-4607 or (818) 677-2504.
* The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA offers docent-led tours at 1 and 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month. The garden, which contains one of America’s largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants, will be open for tours Sunday. Entrance is at Le Conte and Hilgard avenues. Free. For information: (310) 206-6707.
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Send garden announcements to Garden Events, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, at least three weeks before the event date.
