Succulents

The drought in California has been ongoing for four years and this has huge impact on water usage. To cut water use, cities across California is encouraging removing lawns and planting drought tolerant plants.

Succulents are plants that require less water and still look nice and pretty. Succulent plants are also known as fat plants and have parts that are thick and fleshy in order to retain water. These plants thrive very well in arid climates which make them suitable in Southern California with its dry climate.

These plants are usually planted as ornamental plants because of their unusually beautiful and striking appearance. Most have green to blue color such as the Agave and often have needles. Home centers usually have a section for succulents and offer a variety of these plants to choose from.

A few of succulents bloom but most do not. What they lack in colorful bloom is compensated by their unusual and fleshy appearance. Succulents do not only require less water, they are also almost carefree and very little care.

Apples

Southern California is not well known for apple growing except for some apple farms in Oak Glen, a farming community located in the foothills of San Bernardino Mountains. It is known as the Apple Country of Southern California with private ranches, restaurants and apple farms where you can pick apples from the tree. Julian located in the mountains of San Diego County is also one of the popular locations for apple picking in Southern California.

Bought an apple tree from Home Depot a few years ago and is now full of fruit. The fruit is not as good looking as the ones you can buy from a grocery store but they are sweet, juicy and really crunchy besides free of pesticides which make it organic.

Apple picking season is usually done at the start of fall and we are in the middle of summer but my tree is almost done for the season and have harvested almost all the fruit. Was able to harvest almost 2 grocery bags full from that small tree.