Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2023.
This month's question:
What’s your secret…
... December in San Diego can be glorious. Share some of the glory of your Garden!
Christine Honeycutt exclaims…
… the Epiphyllum is blooming, and the pink color is outstanding!
Ida Rigby of 92064 satisfies our eyes with…
… The blazing canary yellow leaves interspersed with huge red globes of the pomegranates have given way to bright paths and creek beds carpeted with shining leaves. The winter grevilleas are blooming. Grevillea thelemanniana is a small tree sized with red burst of holiday ornaments, which attract the still resident hummingbirds. The toyon berries are deeper red than in November. They decorate the garden and also indoor surfaces. Then, of course, there are the surprises. What is this iris doing, which always blooms in August, sending up multiple stalks covered with huge blooms? That’s our Southern California.
Elizabeth Nash of 92014 shares…
… My Christmas cactus never lets me down! It puts me in the holiday spirit with its abundant joyous blooms. Merry Christmas everybody!
Joan Herskowitz of 92024 responds…
… Having been inspired by Doug's Tallamy's call to plant natives, I've just added a few new plants to my garden. Although winter in general is a good time to plant natives, I tried to get them in before the expected rainstorm. I planted Beach Aster 'White Lights', California Sunflower, Toyon, and Salvia 'Aromas' (a Cleveland Sage hybrid). Natives can be bought at a number of local nurseries that order from the grower, but Neel's Nursery, on Hwy 101 in Encinitas (across from Pannikin), sells native plants exclusively (open Sat., Sun, and Mon.) I can’t wait to watch my new plants grow, hopefully thrive!
Cathy Tylka, of 92026, responds…
… My Christmassy Garden is amassing lots of fresh fruit. After tree trim earlier this year, they are bigger and better than ever. Here we have Pink Grapefruit, Satsuma tangerines, Navel Oranges, Blood Oranges, Meyer Lemons…to name a few. Enjoy….and if I see you, I may be sharing my bounty. Oops, I almost forgot to mention my native Ca. Grapevine, Vitus californica, for decoration, at this time of year!
Karen England of 92084 adds . . .
. . . Last month I edited Francesca Filanc’s article GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Dazzling Amaryllis (sdhortnews.org) and was immediately inspired to plant an Amaryllis in my beautiful new pot made by Jeffrey Stewart, of Human Hands Pottery, purchased at the November SDHS meeting at CBI, to grow it on my desk where I work on writing and editing this, the Let’s Talk Plants! newsletter. And look! It's blooming!
Next question for the February 2023 Sharing Secrets column…
...If we have rain, what do plan to do in your Garden?
If we do not have rain, what do you plan to do in your Garden?
