November Newsletter

November Gardening

What a lovely month we are having. Wonderful weather, it is just a great time to be out in the garden. I wish I could join you.

For you late starters, rye grass planted now should take 2- 3 weeks to come up. If your rye is all ready up you can reduce your watering schedule to every five days-water each station 20-30 minutes. Winter grass is subject to fungal infections so water on the morning to allow your grass to dry out. If you didn’t plant rye, consider using a pre-emergence weed killer we have an organic one as well as one containing the active ingredients of Surfland. Our winter rains bring a bumper crop of annual weeds. Be prepared: kill them before they grow.

Still November is a great time to be planting. Be sure to wait several days after it rains or you have run your irrigation system to plant. Our native soil is so clayey that when you dig when the soil is wet it destroys the soil texture, leaving you with a hard mass that can’t take up oxygen. Most of the spring bulbs are ready to go into the ground. We have a fabulous selection of easy bulbs. Most bulbs appreciate extra sand, organic matter and a high phosphate fertilizer in their planting hole. By the end of the month the tulips, hyacinths and crocus from your refrigerator should be ready for planting. Early paperwhites are up and getting ready for bloom. At the middle of the month start a new set for Christmas bloom. Start new amaryllis bulbs now for Christmas bloom (They take 6 weeks). Amaryllis wise check out the new Elvis bulb its divine.

Keep planting cool season veggies and herbs. Most herbs do best when planted in the fall. Sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, dill, and mints are all good choices. With this nice warm weather all of the Cole crops of veggies can still go in. Plant now for a spring bonanza.

With the winter sun low in the sky, the north facing sides of our homes are so shady it’s hard to get color at our front entrance. For winter color you can’t beat cyclamen, They come in red, white, pink and lavender. They bloom all winter with showy blooms. At the end of April or May they shut down. With luck they just go dormant and come back the next year. Begonias aren’t anywhere as showy but they sure are troopers. We do have the anglewing begonias which come close to showy with their big green leaves With good deep watering they can last three or four years. Their bloom cycle takes longer and the color choice isn’t large (white, pink, red) but they last. Another color choice is inpatients, they come in pink, white, and red both in double flowered or single- they will bloom in very deep shade. Their problem is one of heat and cold, they must be covered for frost and the July heat just nukes them. A few new things such as baccopa and scavaola provide a needed splash of lacy white and purple color. For those looking for a more permanent solution —try jasmine, both angelwing (spring and fall bloom) and Arabian Jasmine (all summer) will bloom on the north side under the overhang. One of my favorites for the north is a little plant called diclipta. Diclipta grows about 2 feet high with bright green foliage it has small purple flowers spring and fall and endures shade or sun. Its biggest drawback is it reseeds itself easily. So you can share with your neighbors!