California Gardening

Posted by pennypond USDA 10 Sunset 21 CA July 14, 2015

4 Comments

Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9bUpdated July 18, 2015 I thought we had a case here a couple years ago and had the dept of Agriculture come out and do testing. We did not have it, but they told us to use a systemic pest control product like Bayer Advanced. Ants come to your citrus f...

Landscaping planks

Posted by zagyzebra July 17, 2015

3 Comments

Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9bUpdated July 18, 2015 The original owner here used lots of railroad ties. He did put concrete down here and there, but mainly it's just the ties. They are treated! Some of our decks here are made with pressure treated wood. You will get termites if...

Manzanita Tree

Posted by silversword(9A) January 10, 2009

18 Comments

gyr_falcon(Sunset 23 USDA 9)Updated July 17, 2015 I am not surprised you are not aware of Sunset zones. They are the zone system used by serious gardeners in the west. Sunset went national in 1997 with a book covering the U.S. and Canada, but the expansion didn't take. I hoarded ...

Annoying bare strip around lawn--what to do? (Sunset 15)

Posted by Lydia Lee March 8, 2015

5 Comments

Lydia LeeUpdated July 17, 2015 That's an interesting idea--I love the idea of natural transitions between areas! However, hard to imagine that blue-eyed grass or Australian violet would do very well with foot traffic, so it wouldn't have worked for my particula...

Horsetail Reed

Posted by NorCalNiko(USDA 9 Sunset 16/17) August 10, 2011

12 Comments

Nil13 usda:9a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)Updated July 16, 2015 P. afra is not short. I have some on my property line that are 10 feet tall. Slow and controllable? Yes, but they can eventually get pretty big if you let them.

My California Lilac is dying

Posted by deiler July 12, 2015

10 Comments

lgteacher(SCal zone 9b)Updated July 14, 2015 Back off the irrigation and put some mulch on the ground, but not close to the main stem of the plant.

Smart Irrigation Controller

Posted by jxbrown May 29, 2015

13 Comments

HydrawiseUpdated July 14, 2015 PS no subscription required, for our fully functioning system. It is an optional extra for email and SMS alerts and access for up to 5 weather station.

Hummingbird Bush - Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

Posted by chezron July 13, 2015

chezronI have this plant in my garden. I think I am seeing seedlings everywhere. Does your plant produce copious seedlings? What is your experience with this plant? I love that it flowers in the summer.

Pittosporum Probs

Posted by sweargarden(9) July 9, 2015

6 Comments

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9Updated July 13, 2015 I have had similar looking wheeler dwarfs that turned out to be simply not enough summer water. They are not native and not drought tolerant, when I increased the water they recovered nicely. Al

Does anyone know what trees these are?

Posted by savoiu(9A (San Jose)) July 10, 2015

4 Comments

Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9bUpdated July 12, 2015 Next to Mexican Fan or Queen Palms, that Silk tree is very prolific. My neighbor has one and we are constantly pulling baby trees.

Alternatives to Saucer Magnolia?

Posted by luadams July 9, 2015

2 Comments

Josue DiazUpdated July 10, 2015 Arbutus Unedo 'Marina', or one of the larger manzanitas like Dr. Hurd would be right at home in the Sierra foothills and would look really nice planted along a driveway.

help me make a list of wide spreading water wise ground cover

Posted by pman6 June 29, 2015

10 Comments

Josue DiazUpdated July 8, 2015 Ceanothus has some low growing cultivars that are excellent ground covers and may need no additional irrigation once established in a coastal garden. Baccharis pilularis 'pigeon point' is another excellent option that would need l...

Need Giant Whitefly Locations in SoCal (Researcher)

Posted by nebulusx March 28, 2015

17 Comments

kathi_mdgd(92058)Updated July 7, 2015 I'm in Oceanside Cali,and i saw a hibiscus bush last week that was covered in whitefly.I was just driving by and it caught my eye.When i go out again,and it won't be today,i'll check to see if it's still there and get back to you,...

Oakland Houseplant Store

Posted by sebastopolgardener July 4, 2015

6 Comments

sebastopolgardenerUpdated July 5, 2015 Crimson was the place. We didn't have time to check out any other places. The prices aren't Home Depot, but they have unusual houseplants and nice accessories. Until today, I had no idea air plants were a thing again. I found an o...

stunning foxglove

Posted by janni selzer(5b) July 1, 2015

4 Comments

gyr_falcon(Sunset 23 USDA 9)Updated July 3, 2015 Just to clarify, Digiplexis is a cross between Digitalis and Isoplexis (as it says in Gardengal's post). Lovely Isoplexis is, unfortunately, also a short-lived plant--roughly three years. I would put it more in the sub-shrub categ...

My New Drought Resistant Lawn - UC Verde Buffalo grass

Posted by akarinz June 29, 2015

7 Comments

Nil13 usda:9a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)Updated July 3, 2015 For reference, a typical rainbird spray head is going to have a precipitation rate of around 3"/hour and the reference ET for SF in the month of June is around 4.6". If you run a zone with a precip rate of 3 for 5 minute...

June Rain!

Posted by stanofh June 10, 2015

15 Comments

Josue DiazUpdated July 2, 2015 Well, we got some real thunder and lightning storms starting yesterday night and extending through even this morning. We had some periods of heavy rain and an amazing lightning show that took the lights out several times last nigh...

Artichoke- is this normal?

Posted by llilibel03 June 9, 2015

7 Comments

solaraysUpdated July 2, 2015 Yes. Mulching and watering deeply will fix that. Let hose drip slowly so water soaks into the ground for 30 mins 1-2 times a week and put mulch around the base. I had mine up against a stark white shed in full sun in 100+ degree ...

Northern California Garden Swap coming up - Jul 11

Posted by phreckless(10) July 2, 2015

phreckless(10)We have a group forming for a swap on the afternoon of July 11, very near Half Moon Bay. If you're in the area and interested in joining the fun, please PM me. Best, Myles

X-post from Trees. Will this Wilsonii olive fill out?

Posted by 1929Spanish-GW June 13, 2015

3 Comments

1929Spanish-GWUpdated July 1, 2015 I just wanted to follow up that we looked at the tree again and decided to pass. We'll start again in the fall. In the meantime, I read this board with interest. We currently have a potted lemon tree and three rose bushes in the b...

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