Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow?
by Mary Crowell

April is a great planting time, especially geraniums and pelargoniums (try some of the scented ones, my chocolate mint is wonderful to brush up against), campanulas, iberis (candytuft), penstemon, phlox, delphinium, hellebores (I saw some gorgeous ones at the SF Flower and Garden Show), asters, including Michaelmas Daisy, coreopsis, armeria, aquilegia, (columbine), achillea (yarrow), geum, althaea (hollyhocks), chrysanthemum (marguerites), artemisia (Dusty Miller), bergenias, and salvias (Mexican sage and other sages), my personal favorites. Now is the time to plant those summer bulbs such as gladioli, watsonias (if you have the room, I ended up yanking mine out after a few years), agapanthus (Queen of the Nile), anemones, cannas, callas (try the Green Goddess variety), dahlias (tubers), and ranunculus (rhizomes). Divide the older perennials already in your garden. It is surprising how quickly your garden can be transformed simply by deadheading and getting rid of the dead branches, plants, leaves and twigs. I have managed to work a few days for a few hours each time after all those rains we had in Feb and Mar and it is amazing the difference it can make in the garden and my disposition. This is also a great time to pinch out tips of shrubs and plants to make them more shapely and bushy. Many things do bloom on their end tips, so know your plants before pruning. Plant frost tender tropicals including strelizias (bird of paradise), citrus, hibiscus, lantana, hydrangea, and protea; try leucodendrons for beautiful rewarding plants as they are drought tolerant.

Sometimes I think it is quite unfair to live in such an easy gardening climate, when other states have horrible weather problems, no I don’t!! It might get cold again, so watch the weather report. In fact, today, I have a fire in the wood burning stove as it is really cold in our house. Hope some of you made it to the SF Flower and Garden Show in San Mateo in March, what spectacular gardens, garden jewelry, along with great free lectures and some wonderful floral designs from California Garden Clubs including two of yours truly.

Some of my favorite plants in our garden right now are Green Goddess callas, papyrus, birds of paradise, leucodendrons, alstromerias (just getting ready to flower), pelargoniums, both scented and zonals, citrus, New Zealand flax, salvias, hebe, daffodils, kangaroo paws, black bamboo, cymbidiums, loropetalum ‘razzle dazzle’, clivia, lavender and succulents (in bloom or not). Speaking of succulents, watch for the Peninsula Succulent Club annual plant sale in my front yard, May 14th, write that on your calendar! Drought tolerant succulents are the way to go and need so little care, they are a cinch to grow.

If you are short on space in your garden as I am, and love roses, try some of the miniature rose introductions.

Some of you may be curious, or not, to know where I get information for this monthly garden column. Along with my own 47+ years of gardening experience, first in Sacramento (3 years), Brazil (2 years), SF (12 years), SSF (14 years), and currently San Mateo (16 years), I grew up learning from my father’s gardening practices. Ideas come from everywhere, including local nursery and garden center’s monthly handouts, past gardening columns from Don Burns and the SMTimes, from lectures and reading Sunset, Garden Gate, Fine Gardening and searching the web. I have my father’s gardening log where he kept track month to month what to do and what was in bloom. Believe me, I am not that organized. I no longer run a plant hospital and nurse those sick ones back to health, or try to save my friend’s castaways; what lives with us better not like a lot of water or babying. Also, since I am a flower show judge, judging horticulture, cut flowers and floral designs, I do get to see well-grown plants in our bay area. Belonging to local and state garden clubs also gets one in touch with fellow gardeners and they generously give away cuts and starts of unusual plant material.

You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com. in the subject line, Q. for mary, mary or write to me, Mary Crowell, c/o San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, Ca, 94403.