5 things to do in the garden this week:
1. We are in the midst of the pluot revolution. A pluot is a hybrid between a plum and an apricot. It has been said that some people don’t like plums and some people don’t like apricots, but everybody loves pluots. Pluots are not only bursting with flavor, but the hang time of some varieties is longer than that of peaches or plums, which tend to ripen all at once. The only caveat where pluots are concerned is that you must plant two cross-pollinating varieties together in order to harvest a crop. To find a nursery near you that sells pluots, visit the Dave Wilson Nursery website at davewilson.com. This is the nursery where pluots are propagated and then shipped to retail nurseries. When you reach the home page, click the “home garden” tab at the top, then “where to buy,” and finally “retail nurseries … Southern California.”
SEE ALSO: Get more gardening advice from Joshua Siskin
2. If you seek a steady supply of pollinators for your fruit trees, plant flowering species that attract bees. One of the best bee magnets is pride of Madeira (Echium candicans). Thick bluish flower spikes, 18 inches long, are on display now. The plant self-sows but it will take two years from germination of its seeds until its first flowers are visible. California natives that attract California native bee species include western redbud, California poppies, yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora). You can keep California native bees around all year by creating a nesting block; take a 2” x 4” or 4” x 4” piece of pine or redwood and drill dead-end holes 1/8 – 3/8 of an inch into the wood. Attach the drilled wood onto the side of your garage or other structure, or to a pole for this purpose that you pound into the ground among your fruit trees. Native bees will build their nests in the holes you drilled in the wood.
3. If you are seeking a tree with fragrant blossoms in May, plant a sweetshade (Hymenosporum flavum). Its yellow flowers slowly fade to white so that, when in full bloom, the tree appears to be covered in popcorn. Sweetshade is nearly always placed in a wind-protected location or against a building since its vertical growth habit and natural branching structure cause it to break apart in stormy weather if planted in an open area. To create a stronger tree with a broad and wind-resistant canopy, pinch terminal shoots when it is young to encourage lateral growth.
4. Justicia is a genus of plants that provides many May bloomers and each of them, in partial to full sun locations, justifies its own space in the garden. If you have desire for a three-foot shrub that blooms nearly all the time with very little water and may be grown in almost any situation, from individually in pots to collectively in a hedge, select the shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana) with its distinctive prawn-shape bronzish bracts. Other non-stop blooming Justicias include the pink Justicia carnea, the orange Justicia spicigera, the silver Justicia betonia, the golden Justicia aurea, and the yellow and pink Justicia var. Fruit Salad. There is also the California native chuparosa (Justicia californica) with its display of hummingbird attracting red tubular flowers from fall through spring,
5. Flowering vines can be a mixed blessing. Enamored with their beauty, you may loathe the thought of pruning them, but letting them just grow can spell trouble for plants in the vicinity. Before you know it – as occurred in my own neighborhood — lavender trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides), installed to cover a low chainlink fence along the front sidewalk, will grow up an adjoining Eugenia hedge to a height of 20 feet. If not removed, this vine will eventually blanket the hedge, taking away its light and causing its death.
Send questions and comments to joshua@perfectplants.com.
