Last Chance to Plant Before Heat Sets In

As spring slides into summer, it’s time to finish up any planting. Overcast days may allow spring to linger, especially near the foggy coast, but it will soon be too hot to plant much of anything. Watering becomes the big job in gardens from now until fall and the first rain.

Unless you plan to water new plants nearly every day, consider this the last chance to plant summer’s flowers. The hot weather champs are verbena, vinca rosea (also call catharanthus) and zinnia--even in Palmdale they won’t poop out--but you can also plant ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, balsam, celosia, bedding dahlia, annual dianthus, dusty miller, gaillardia, gazania, gloriosa daisy, lobelia, marigold, nierembergia, petunia, portulaca and salvia. In the shade, try bedding begonia, forget-me-not, coleus, mimulus and impatiens.

From the Los Angeles Times

California Garden Calendar

Fuchsia show and sale sponsored by Southern California members of the National Fuchsia Society, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge. Free with $5 garden admission. Information: (818) 949-4200 or www.DescansoGardens.org.

Dyeing with natural plant dyes demonstrations, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday; spinning and weaving demonstrations, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Free with $10 garden admission. For information call (626) 405-2100.

Thirty-sixth annual flower show by the Southern California Garden Club, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd. Encino. Free. For information call (818) 361-7873.

Talk on native grasses of the Santa Monica Mountains, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Soka University of America, 26800 W. Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. Free. For reservations, call (818) 878-3763.

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Send garden announcements to Garden Events, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail to garden @la times.com at least three weeks before the event.