Five things to do in the garden this week:
Fruit. Although kiwi vines generally need a colder winter than Southern California’s in order to flower and fruit, the Fuzzy Jenny variety needs only 100 hours of winter chill (temperatures below 45 degrees) and thus is suitable for growing anywhere in our area. Although kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) is a dioecious species, meaning there are separate male and female plants — and both are generally needed for flowers and fruit to form — Fuzzy Jenny females can fruit on their own. However, as is the case with virtually all self-fertile fruit trees and vines, a larger crop of 100 pounds or more, with bigger fruit, will grow when a male counterpart is present. Thus, it would be wise to plant a male Fuzzy, although it will not produce fruit itself, next to the female. Both types are accessible at onegreenworld.com. Fragrant yellow flowers appear in the spring, followed by fruit (golf ball size when female planted alone, up to twice as large in company of male plant) in summer or fall. Single specimens will reach 4-6 feet tall and spread 10-20 feet on a trellis, ideally supported with metal posts or 4×4’s. Propagate from softwood cuttings taken in April or May. Although kiwifruit became commercially popularized thanks to New Zealand, it is actually native to China, which leads the world in production of this crop.
Once the danger of frost has passed — mid-March in Southern California — beans may be planted. It is advisable, as is the case with large seeds in general, to pre-soak them overnight for quicker germination. Alternatively, you can place them on a wet paper towel and cover them with plastic wrap for a few days until their first root is visible. If you plant without pre-soaking or pre-germination, make sure they are well watered when placed in the ground or in a container; yes, you can grow beans in a container as long as there is a stick for them to grow up vertically. In terms of growth habit, there are three types of beans: runner beans, pole beans, and bush beans. Runner beans vine their way up the support you provide in a clockwise manner, while pole beans ascend in a counterclockwise direction; this distinction is important if you wish to assist their climb by twining them in the right direction. Bush beans grow as their name indicates, with a mature stature of two feet tall and wide. Classic green beans are grown as pole or bush beans. A runner bean known as Royal Corona has a reputation for being the largest and tastiest variety of any bean. It is white in color, twice the size of a lima bean, and plumps up even bigger when cooked. With beans, there is a relationship between size and taste with the larger varieties, from favas to gigantes to coronas, being most flavorful.
Herbs. If I had to single out a single plant to recommend for every Southern California garden, African blue basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum) would be it. It is a hybrid between camphor basil and sweet basil. Like many other hybrid plants, African blue basil is sterile, which helps to explain its extravagant flowering; when a plant does not form seeds, there is more energy to devote purely to flowering. In such a case, dead-heading or removal of faded flowers which would otherwise go to seed (and discourage more flowering) is not an issue. Imagine acquiring a plant in the spring that is only a few inches tall and then seeing it grow into a gorgeous four-foot-tall and wide specimen with a mass of blooms by midsummer. African blue basil grows equally well in sun or light shade. It requires a bare minimum of water and will grace your garden for several years at least although, like sweet basil, it is easily propagated from cuttings so that you will have its clones forever if you choose. Not as culinarily enticing as sweet basil because of its heavier camphor component, you can still use its leaves to make pesto, to sprinkle over roasted potatoes and to flavor drinks and salads. Flowers are pink with purple tips and attract a legion of pollinating insects.
Perennials. Sea holly (Eryngium planum) has a unique garden presence owing to a plethora of spherical blooms. Violet-blue protuberances are surrounded by what look like thorns but are actually soft, if jagged, flower parts. Sea holly flowers can be preserved for months as dry flowers. Sea holly is cold-hardy, drought-tolerant, and suitable for both a dry garden and as a container subject. It is a relative of dill, fennel, and cilantro and, like them, attracts beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies, growing three feet tall. Globe thistle (Echinops spp.), which reaches four feet in height, is an unrelated perennial whose golf ball flowers roughly match the shape and color of those of sea holly blooms. Globe thistle has a clumping growth habit and will persist for years, easily propagated by division of its clumps.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), which is considered to be a weedy nuisance by some, has a large number of horticultural applications. It is an indicator plant for a fertile soil since it sprouts up in well-aerated ground where nitrogen and phosphorus are abundantly available. Nettle extract, made by composting nettle leaves and brewing them as a tea, has been used as an insecticide, fungicide, and miticide. This tea may also be utilized as a liquid fertilizer and as a compost pile accelerator of decomposition. It is also a rich source of magnesium, sulphur, and iron. Nettle is highly attractive to butterflies, including endangered species, whose larvae munch on its leaves. You can order nettle seeds online and grow the plant as a ground cover which, when mowed or pruned down to the ground, grows back with greater density. Always wear gloves when handling nettles due to their stinging hairs.