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Southern California Gardener's November Checklist
Sow wildflower seeds while ye may, give berries some love and pay attention to produce for garden veggies all winter long
Margie Grace
January 1, 2000
Margie Grace founder & lead designer at Grace Design Associates. A self-taught landscape designer and contractor with a degree in biology and minor in geology.
I’ve been hooked on gardening ever since I laid eyes on the teeny tiny Swiss Chard plant that sprang forth from the first improbable-looking seed I ever planted at the age of 10. I learned the practical side of design and construction from my very creative and resourceful (that is to say, broke) DIY parents, followed by a spate of home remodels in my twenties (seven houses in seven years!).
I definitely came to landscaping through a different door and I carry a different set of tools from my university trained colleagues. My designs are conceived as functioning ecosystems, grounded in pragmatism, married seamlessly to the...
Margie Grace founder & lead designer at Grace Design Associates. A self-taught landscape... More
The days are growing shorter, and the scent of cinnamon and pumpkin pie will soon be in the air. It may seem like your garden is headed for its winter nap, but in Southern California there is always something you can do to make your beds as bountiful as your Thanksgiving Day feast. A little legwork now will ensure beautiful blooms in spring and winter-long produce in your veggie garden.
It's still prime planting season in Southern California, especially for natives, Mediterranean plants and cool-season veggies. See below for planting tips and additional garden tasks.
It's still prime planting season in Southern California, especially for natives, Mediterranean plants and cool-season veggies. See below for planting tips and additional garden tasks.
Cut back (many) perennials. And grasses too. For sages (Salvia, Perovskia and others) look for new growth pushing from the base of the plant, then cut this year’s growth, leaving 4 to 6 inches of stem.
For warm-season grasses, the previous season's growth typically browns out in the fall. Cut it back to 4 to 6 inches as well.
For warm-season grasses, the previous season's growth typically browns out in the fall. Cut it back to 4 to 6 inches as well.
Prepare for winter weather. Thin evergreen trees before the winter storms arrive to reduce wind resistance and the possibility of storm damage. Hire a certified arborist or read up on proper pruning methods if you’re planning to do the job yourself.
Treat peach leaf curl. If leaf curl (puckered leaves that turn yellow or red) was a problem on your peaches and nectarines this year, spray them with lime sulfur once they go dormant.
Caution: Avoid spraying apricot trees, as lime sulfur is toxic for them.
Caution: Avoid spraying apricot trees, as lime sulfur is toxic for them.
Overseed warm-season lawns with annual rye — or not. Warm-season lawns (Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia etc.) are heading into dormancy. If the seasonal siesta and its accompanying brown color aren't to your taste, now is the time to overseed your lawn with annual winter rye grass. Here's how.
• Give the lawn a supershort haircut.
• Sow the seeds per the package label.
• Top-dress the area with fine compost.
• Keep the ground damp until you see the grass sprout.
• Once you've got a good 3 to 4 inches of growth, you're ready for the first mowing.
• Give the lawn a supershort haircut.
• Sow the seeds per the package label.
• Top-dress the area with fine compost.
• Keep the ground damp until you see the grass sprout.
• Once you've got a good 3 to 4 inches of growth, you're ready for the first mowing.
Continue planting cool-season veggies and flowers this month. Leafy varieties and root crops love the cooler weather that November brings.
Plant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, lettuce and other greens. Root crops include beets, carrots, radishes, and turnips. Take advantage of the vast range of varieties now readily available at your nursery or through seed catalogs.
Plant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, lettuce and other greens. Root crops include beets, carrots, radishes, and turnips. Take advantage of the vast range of varieties now readily available at your nursery or through seed catalogs.
Give berries a little love this month. Divide and plant last season's strawberries or get bare-root varieties from the nursery in the ground before mid-November.
Cut back the old canes of cane berry plants (blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry, ollalaberry, loganberry etc.) to the ground. Leave new smooth-barked canes that grew this year to bear fruit next year.
Caution: For low-chill raspberries, wait until December or January to cut the canes back.
Cut back the old canes of cane berry plants (blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry, ollalaberry, loganberry etc.) to the ground. Leave new smooth-barked canes that grew this year to bear fruit next year.
Caution: For low-chill raspberries, wait until December or January to cut the canes back.
Sow wildflower seeds in anticipation of winter rains. Choose a Western wildflower seed mix that includes both annuals and perennials, or find your favorite flower seeds and make your own mix.
A few showy wildflower species that do great in our Southern California climate include California poppies, larkspur, Lineria, Baby blue eyes, Clarkia, Chinese houses, Godetia and lupine.
A few showy wildflower species that do great in our Southern California climate include California poppies, larkspur, Lineria, Baby blue eyes, Clarkia, Chinese houses, Godetia and lupine.
Spring-flowering bulbs. Continue planting any spring-flowering bulbs you didn’t get in the ground last month. Bulbs to plant now include anemones, daffodils, grape hyacinth, ranunculus, scilla, some species of tulips, freesia, Ixia, Sparaxis and Watsonia.
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