by C. Darren Butler with Ann Clary March is typically one of the busiest months in the Southern California garden. Regardless of whether you live in one of Southern California’s inland valleys or along the coast, here are 10 items that should be on your gardening to-do list this month: Cut back or replace diseased, […]

New Year’s Gardening Resolution 3: Water Plants and Trees Deeply. GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. There is no additional cost to you. “How often and how much do plants and trees need to be watered?” is both one of the simplest and most-complex questions for gardeners. The simple answer is […]

by Ann Clary and C. Darren Butler GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Are you eyeing your fruit-laden pomegranate tree wondering when to harvest? Lucky you – that is, if you know how to time harvest when pomegranates are ripe but before critters get them! As pomegranates approach ripeness, consider […]

Picture a large, magenta bougainvillea draping over the red tile roof of a Spanish style home on a cloudless, sunny day—the essence of Southern California. But it might surprise many to know that bougainvillea is native not to California or even North America, but to South America, specifically Brazil to Peru and a portion of […]

November is an ideal month for starting most cool season vegetable and herb plants. Here is our list of tasks: Start most cool-season annual vegetable-and-herb seeds for fall-and-winter harvest indoors or directly outdoors, and transplant starts outdoors; experienced gardeners growing appropriate varieties may succeed with a variety of cool-season crops and warm-season crops year-round in […]

November is an ideal month for starting most cool season vegetable and herb plants. Here is our list of tasks: Start most cool-season annual vegetable-and-herb seeds for fall-and-winter harvest indoors or directly outdoors, and transplant starts outdoors; experienced gardeners growing appropriate varieties may succeed with some warm-season crops over winter in your zone such as […]

October is an ideal month to plant cool season vegetables and herbs in Southern California’s areas of coastal influence. Start most cool-season annual vegetable-and-herb seeds for fall-and-winter harvest indoors or directly outdoors, and transplant starts outdoors; experienced gardeners growing appropriate varieties may succeed with a variety of cool-season crops and warm-season crops year-round in your […]

October is an ideal month to plant many cool season vegetables and herbs in Southern California’s warmer inland areas. Start most cool-season annual vegetable-and-herb seeds for fall-and-winter harvest indoors or directly outdoors, and transplant starts outdoors; experienced gardeners growing appropriate varieties may succeed with some warm-season crops over winter in your zone such as tomatoes. […]

Temperature fluctuations typical of fall in Southern California can make watering garden plants a challenge. Here are a few guidelines: Monitor plants during heat waves. Watering needs may be highly variable depending upon seasonal temperature fluctuations and heat waves. Reduce or eliminate watering to spent garden areas as plants die back during Indian Summer and […]