| Plants start looking ratty if they're not trimmed |
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| That's better! This will flower nicely now. |
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June /July
Watering: The goal is to water DEEPLY but INFREQUENTLY to encourage a longer root system.
As it gets warmer, 2 to 3 times per week will be enough. If it's 3 times per week, put more time on your lawn
(say 12 min.) and less time on your shrub beds (say 8 min). HOWEVER, CALIFORNIA NATIVES
DO NOT LIKE A LOT OF WATER IN THE SUMMER. Look into drip systems and consider changing your irrigation system to the smart
timers. Check with your local Toro or Ewing irrigation manufacturers on this. Just because
we've had rain doesn't mean we're 'out of the woods' with this drought we're in. We are still at 50% of our normal levels.
Pruning: Except for the shrubs that are currently blooming, continue to trim back your shrubs,
perennials and trees. Rule of thumb: Trim back, dead head or prune hard (except lavender: give a light pruning only)
anything shortly AFTER it finishes flowering. Thin out fruit on trees to encourage less but larger fruit. Marguerita daisy
shrubs need to be cut back HARD. Prune and train vines and espaliers. In JULY cut
back Penstemon and Artemesia and IF your hydrangeas flowers are turning brown, start pruning them down to 2 leaf buds. Leave
the new branches with no flowers alone. They'll bloom late this year or next year. Hydrangeas bloom on 1-year old growth.
Feeding: USE organic fertilizers and compost. The chemical fertilizers that
have been used are a big part of the reason for the 200 dead zones now found in our oceans. (run-off from your sprinklers
into the drains) They have also ruined our soils by killing the beneficial miroorganisms and contaminated our ground water.
We MUST get back to nature in a natural way. Feed: Citrus, Avocado, fuschias, Camellias, Ferns, Tropicals,
lawns, fruits and vegetables
Organic soil amendment choices: Aged Manure (fresh is too hot) Horse only has to be aged for 3 months, where-as chicken and rabbit manure
needs to be aged for 1 year. (PS, cow manure is too high in salt, therefore I don't recommend it) Dried grass clippings, aged
compost, kelp or seaweed, Rotted hay mixed with horse manure, worm castings (worm poop). Also, you can look for commercial that have OMRI on the label. Look for products that have humate, humus and microorganisms in
them too. Check out these wonderful organic products to improve
your soil: www.marilynsown.com. I recommend "My Perfect Garden" product. Plant: Continue to plant melons and summer vegetables. Also plant tropicals, bougainvilleas, blooming
perennials (that way you know what color you're getting)
Disease and Pest Control:
First of all, if your plants are healthy, in healthy soil (with the beneficial microbes) and
have the light and water requirements they need, then the problems of pests and diseases should be close to non-existent.
However if you're still working on this area (it takes a while to get our soils improved) you may need to control ants, whitefly,
and weevils. Worm castings is one of the best ways to control many
pests. Place a layer on the roots of susceptible plants (like Hibiscus). It does however, take about 4-6 weeks for it to take
effect. Worm castings need to be renewed every year. You
can also release beneficial predators in your yard for Whitefly. These would be the delphastus beetle and the non-stinging
parasitic wasp Entedononecremnus. To control snails and slugs (our garden snails are actually the edible type, however
they have to be kept in a cage and purged first) you can lay traps like upside-down flower pots and collect them the next
morning and dispose of them. Ordinary bran can be sprinkled on open areas (they love it, you grab them and destroy them) or
look for Garden-Safe Organic Slug and snail bait. BTW, If you bury the squashed snails, they make a good fertilizer. Mulch:
If you still haven't mulched your yard.... what are you waiting for? It's beneficial to your soil, it keeps weeds at bay and
holds moisture in longer. Plus it gives your yard a 'finished' look. What's not to like? Lawn:
Please do consider removing some (or all) of
your lawn. 65% of our water use goes into our landscapes. 75% of THAT is for our lawn. Our lawns are an unsustainable little
habit we've been addicted to for hundreds of years. There ARE some areas in the U.S. that can sustain a lawn with very little
unnatural practices (other than the never-ending mowing) However, Southern California is NOT one of those areas. It's
simply a losing battle.
I know it's expensive to remove it and replace it and some of us have
kids that actually play on it (but if we're honest with ourselves...not very many) so...for that lawn we do still have: The best way to get more drought tolerant lawns is to improve your soil so the roots can get
longer. Add organics, Humus, and aerate 2 times per year. If your lawn is thick and healthy, you also will have
VERY few weeds to deal with. Can man survive
without his lawn? OR How LONG can man survive WITH his lawn? Considering
artificial turf for your home? Think again...check my blog, https://plantsmack.wordpress.com Questions? E-mail us.
Terri @ Homescape Designs
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A perfect example of poor soil...White/gray, hard, no compost or mulch on top....gee I wonder why their
plants are doing poorly? If your gardener is "cleaning" out from under your plants like this...he is doing your
plants a grave disservice.
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This soil is not perfect but in much better condition....Darker in color, organic material added and topped with
mulch (which was pushed away for this photo)
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Please consider removing these tiny strips of lawn near the sidewalk. Replacing with low water ground
cover or plants will help keep irrigation from running into the street so often.
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That thick green carpet in front of the stone wall is Myoporum. The secret to it's lush appearance? Well prepared
soil!
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Another way to replace small areas of lawn. These lovely wavy grasses are kept looking neat by placing the
low ground cover in front.
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About 1/3 of this lawn that had brown patches was removed and replaced with drought tolerant plants and a fun dry
stream bed.
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