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Winter Gardening Tips
DRY WINTER?  DRAG OUT THE HOSE
When winter rains fail to materialize, drag out the hose and give your plants a good soaking.  Many California native plants are adapted to our dry, hot summers and typically cool, wet winters.   Although established native plants will usually make it through these dry years, those that have been in your garden for less than three rainy seasons, may need help.  Until mother nature cooperates, be sure to water approximately once a week.  You may need to water more often if you have well-drained soil, new plants and the humidity remains low.  Those of you with heavier soils, especially if there is mulch in your garden, may get away with less frequent watering.  The only way to know is to check to see if the soil is damp a few inches down and to watch your plants.  If the soil is dry and the plants are drooping, be sure to water.  Extended drought will prevent new plants from developing the strong root systems needed to get through the summer months.  

ANNUALS
Sow wildflower seeds of poppies, phacelias, gilias, baby-blue eyes, and tidy tips to brightened up your yard.  Add sunflowers, madias, and clarkias to extend the wildflower season into the late spring and summer.

OTHER WINTER GARDENING CHORES
Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn'
manzanita [B. Eisenstein]
Transplant
Plant your shrubs, trees and perennials during the winter for the best results.

Weed
It is a good time to weed your garden.  Stay on top of the task so that you remove the weeds before they spread new seed.  

Mulch
Although there is debate about the desirability of mulch in native gardens, I find that for most plants it is helpful.  Scrub, chaparral and desert plants prefer inorganic mulch, such as pebbles, decomposed granite, or gravel.  Woodland plants do well with organic mulch.  Keep the mulch away from the stems of the plants where it can contribute to fungal diseases.

Prune and pinch
For salvias, monkeyflowers and other new plants that are putting on rapid new growth, pinch back the tips to encourage bushier plants.  Do not prune or pinch Ceanothus or you will reduce this year’s flowering, rather wait until after they bloom.  

Remove
Aphids love succulent, new growth on plants.  Salvias are especially susceptible to aphids.  Hose down your plants to wash off many of these insects.  Trim and remove the heavily infested tips, both encouraging denser growth and removing the aphids.  Once the hotter weather arrives and the stems harden off, the aphids diminish and are not usually a serious problem.  

Visit Us
Come stroll through the Garden to see manzanitas (Arctostaphylos species), California lilacs (Ceanothus species), currants and gooseberries (Ribes species) in bloom.  From now until late spring the floral display is building by the day.