Joan Swenson: Fall a good time of year to wander the yard and reassess
| Tuesday, Nov 11 2008 08:59 PM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 02:17 PM
Images
A young woman pulls large overgrown weeds
Fall officially arrived when I stuck my foot into my gardening clog after a rainy evening and my toes touched something damp and unfamiliar: a snail, about the size of a nickel.
I dumped the snail and ran to flick off the sprinklers, which had started blasting after a good night of light rain. You know that fall weather has arrived when you’ve got snails in your shoes and the sprinklers need adjusting. I was grateful for the rain that drove the snails up on the patio, washed off my dusty plants and watered my backyard rye grass and my sweet pea seeds, so I didn’t have to.
It’s a good time of year to wander the yard and reassess. I need to call my tree pruning company to have some heavy work done removing our old Pluot tree and a wisteria vine that has turned into a pest. We need to get the apricot tree and the lemon tree pruned before springtime, too. The trees have gotten to be too large for us to tackle the big pruning jobs these days.
I have a few rose bushes that haven’t done well and need to be dug up and pulled, plus a few more that need to be moved from the deepening shade under our Chinese elm and moved out into the sun. After that, I’ll have room for some camellias and azaleas that I need to get out of the sun in the front yard and into the shade in the back.
I looked at the miles of morning glory vines that have moved in from a far-off neighbor’s yard and need to be untangled from bushes and fences. The cooler weather and damp soil will make these jobs so much easier. And if I get the jobs done before the fog arrives, my timing will be just about perfect.
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN THE COMING WEEKS
Pull weeds:Annual winter weeds have begun sprouting with the cooler weather and recent rain. The worst to control is poa annua, also known as annual bluegrass. It looks sweet and pretty when it’s young and as fine as rye grass, but becomes a monster later this winter when you try to pull it. The annual weed creates dense mats of roots and you’re better off hoeing and pulling as much of the weed as early as you can. Frankly, poa is the crabgrass of winter — any other winter weed you’ve got is a breeze to pull by comparison.
Bulbs:It’s not too late to plant fall bulbs. Buy the biggest bulbs you can find, making sure they are firm in their papery skins, and plant in groups for your best spring bloom. Plant wildflower seeds: If you have some open space, perhaps an area where you’ve put down bulbs, wildflower seeds are a great solution to get coverage in an otherwise bare spot. Wildflowers planted now will benefit from winter’s rains. Broadcast the seeds and lightly sprinkle soil on top, keeping them moist if the rain isn’t forthcoming. No fertilizer is necessary. Many nurseries carry California golden poppies, but you may also be able to find California poppies in other shades. Renee’s Garden — available online at reneesgarden.com — carries seeds for a great selection of California poppies. Renee’s sells packages of buttercream poppies, dusky rose poppies, as well as a vibrant mix of colors called “Tropical Sunset” and a bonus pack of colorful California poppies called “Rainbow Colors Mix” that will cover more than 200 square feet in flowers.
Renee’s also carries poppies that produce edible seeds to use in baking: “Heirloom Pepperbox Poppy” and “Hungarian Breadseed” poppies, which are both beautiful, large plants that produce lots of seed. Even if you don’t harvest seeds for baking and just let them fall to the ground, you’ll enjoy plenty of poppies in your yard for years to come.
GREEN THUMB GARDEN CLUB MEETING
Bakersfield Green Thumb Garden Club will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Church of the Brethren, Palm and A streets.
Following socializing and refreshments, third-generation nurseryman Bob Vatcher will speak at 9:30 a.m. about “Garden Therapy.”
Following the meeting, the group will travel to Don and Marilyn Williams’ home for a garden tour. Friends of members and the public are welcome at the meeting. The December meeting will be a Christmas Tea and exchange of gardening gifts.
