Gardening expert Robert Smaus offers his Southern California planting and maintenance checklist.
-
1September can be too hot to think about fall planting -- or to do much of anything but water.
-
2Fall usually doesn’t arrive for gardeners until the middle of October at the earliest.
-
3Days are getting short and nights cool, but keep on planting because it’s still the best season for just about anything, including spring bulbs and California natives.
-
4Fall is officially over in December, but the planting season continues right into January.
-
5January is historically a dry month in the garden, so most years it is a fine time to plant roses and deciduous fruit trees, such as apples and plums.
-
6Historically, February is often our rainiest month, so it is not a busy time for gardeners.
-
7Spring has arrived, though officially not until the 21st.
-
8As the days lengthen and the sun gets higher and hotter, watering becomes more important.
-
9June may be famous for its gloom, but gray skies let gardeners plant the last of the summer crops and flowers.
-
10Find a place in the shade, pour yourself a tall iced tea and take July off.
-
11Even if the heat comes blasting into your corner of Southern California, there’s plenty to do.