5 things to do in the garden this week:
Fruit trees. Peach leaf curl, which affects both peaches and nectarines, is a devastating fungus disease. It appears on new leaves which pucker and curl in the spring. However, applying a copper spray now prevents the pathogenic fungus, Taphrina deformans, from developing. It is a good idea to spray before your peach or nectarine breaks dormancy and some peach varieties, such as May Pride, may do so as early as this month. Application of Liqui-Cop is recommended for preventing peach leaf curl. It is a liquid product that is most easily applied through a hose-end-sprayer, best described as a plastic container you attach to a hose that mixes any one of the -cide sisters — fungicide, insecticide, or herbicide — with water. The chemical is applied as you spray your plants, ideally with a waving movement of your arm. The spray will reach up to 25 feet which should be high enough to cover most fruit trees. For optimal fungus prevention, spray now and again in February, as the buds on your tree have not yet opened.
Vegetables. You can grow your own celery from that bunch you brought home from the grocery store. Cut the bottom three inches of your bunch of celery stalks and place this piece in a shallow bowl of water, supporting it with three or four toothpicks, in a manner similar to that used for germinating an avocado pit in water. The bottom inch of your celery stump should be submerged in water that you will change every couple of days. Within a week, you should see roots begin to grow and foliage emerge from the center of the stump. When roots are an inch long, transplant the stump into a container with fast-draining soil or directly into the garden. You will see the outer stalk remnants turn brown even as fresh foliage develops, another indication that it’s time to move your new celery plant from water to soil.
Herbs. If you are searching for an herb appropriate for the winter garden, lavender is your best choice. Vast commercial lavender plantings are located in the foothills of the French Alps where winter temperatures average between 15 and 25 degrees, with lows of -20 degrees. Lavendin, the lavender oil used in cosmetics, is more concentrated in plants that grow in the cold. The most fragrant lavender oil comes from a hybrid of English lavender and another lavender species, both of which are native to Mediterranean countries. English lavender gets its name not from its land of origin but from the English royalty that was an early customer of its perfume. Extensive lavender fields in full bloom in Mediterranean countries — a phenomenon of early July — are a truly unforgettable sight and should be on the bucket list of every lavender lover.
Flowers. Matthiola (matt-ee-OH-la) or stock is a spicily fragrant bedding plant that will delight the olfactory-oriented gardener. Its flowers are white, pink, lavender or red. It prefers full sun but can handle a tad of shade as well. Sweet alyssum and stock, which are members of the mustard family (that includes cabbage and broccoli) are winter bloomers with both leaves and flowers that are edible. Stock gets its name from its flowers, festooned tightly around the stalk that bears them, suggesting the familiar clerical collar known as a bib stock. The fragrance of stock is special and attracted the attention of Pietro Andrea Mattioli, a 16th century botanist. Mattioli was convinced that this fragrance hinted at an aphrodisiac quality of the plant and embarked on a mission to create a potion from its flowers that would heighten amorous interest among those who drank it. For his devotion to this project, the botanical name of the plant — Matthiola incana — was given in his honor.
By the end of January, it is rare for frosts (when temperatures dip to 32 degrees or below) to occur in most of Southern California, including Santa Clarita, while frosts may still occur immediately north of there in the Antelope Valley (Lancaster and Palmdale) all the way until end of March. Latest frost dates affect planting decisions since small plants are more vulnerable to cold damage than large ones so if you simply must plant while frost is still a possibility, plant the biggest specimens you can afford. This is even truer in the case of seedlings which are especially sensitive to extreme temperatures, whether cold or hot. Protect seedlings from the cold by inverting flower pots or plastic nursery containers over them each evening, making sure to remove the containers each morning so seedlings can benefit from the day’s sun. You can also stretch floating row cover over your seedlings. Floating row cover is a spun fabric that allows water and sunlight to pass through it even as it protects from extreme cold and heat.
Send your questions, comments and concerns to joshua@perfectplants.com so I can share it with readers here.