Camellia

One of Southern California’s winter blooming plants in the garden is the camellia.

Camellias include about 80 species most of which are used as ornamental plants. The leaves are leathery and evergreen. They are native to southern and eastern Asia, and have been cultivated in China, Japan and Korea for centuries.

They are easy to grow in Southern California with a little extra care, some shade and plenty of organic mulch.

I planted several shrubs a few years ago and they are now in full bloom. I planted the Japonica variety which is characterized by huge, double blooms.

Pink Japonica Camellia

 

Once they are established, they require little maintenance and you can enjoy their blooms every year. In Southern California where summer can be dry and hot, plant them where there is some shade to protect the plant from the scorching sun. Weekly watering is also recommended to prevent the plant from drying out.

Red Japonica Camellia

 

Late winter to early spring is the best time to buy and plant camellias. Buy the plant that is already in bloom so you know how the bloom looks like.

Bud of a Red Japonica Ready to Open

New Rose Varieties for 2013

Winter is the time of the year to prune the rose bushes and also the time plant bare root roses. There are several new varieties worth looking at.

There are thousands of rose varieties available out there every year, but we still get excited to hear about the new roses that are come out each year.

Here are some of my favorite new varieties that are available this year:

 England’s Rose

It is hardy and reliable medium-sized English tea rose Flowers are bright pink Blooms from June to November Fragrance is strong, warm and spicy  This rose is available at David Austin Roses, www.davidaustinroses.com

Diamond Eyes

• Miniature rose variety, grows about 14-18 inches tall
• The flower is a gorgeous dark, velvety purple with white eye double bloom rose
• The color will be darken in cooler conditions
• Flower has a petal count of about 18-22 petals
• Flower scent is strong clove and spice

This rose is available at SW Greenhouse, www.sw-greenhouse.com



Dark Knight

• Hybrid tea variety
• Flower is dark velvety red and creamy yellow
• Flower size is large with about of 25 petal count
• Foliage is glossy and dark green
• Slightly fragrant

This rose is available at SW Greenhouse, www.sw-greenhouse.com




Meitroni

• Hybrid tea variety
• Plant size is about 6 feet
• Flower is shell pink which turns white as it ages
• Flower size is large, high centered, and cuplike
• Petal count is about 60 – 65 petals
• Fragrance is strong, fruity and citrusy

This rose is available at Meilland International, www.meilland.com

Fall Color in Southern California

Places like New England and most of the northern East Coast are famous for fall color. Fall color is not restricted to these places; there will be fall color where there are deciduous trees including Southern California. 

Japanese Maple Leaves Turning Red

Fall color in Southern California though is not as spectacular as in the Northeast. There are not enough deciduous trees in the region to give the spectacular fall color. Most of the trees in So Cal are evergreens including pine trees and oaks. Lower elevation in the region also does not have the cold of frost. The cold of frost during fall makes the colors brighter and more intense.

Ornamental Wild Cherry With Yellow Leaves

When I bought my house about 10 years ago, there are no deciduous trees in the property. To have some fall color I planted a Japanese maple, ornamental wild cherry in the backyard and crepe myrtle in the front yard. Now every fall to early winter I have some fall color.

Grape Vines With Brownish to Yellow Leaves

Fall Gardening

Fall in sunny Southern California is the time to plant flowers and vegetables for their fall enjoyment. Mums and bulbs can be planted now. The mums are planted mainly for fall color. The bulbs are planted now so they can be established in the ground and start growing in spring.

Sometimes fall gardening in Southern California can be pretty tricky. My roses are still blooming but most plants are starting to lose their color and vividness. Last weekend we had rains for 2 days and this gave a spring look at the roses.

This is one of the English roses. It is drooping with the weight of rain droplets.

Rain drops on a red rose, not sure what kind of rose is this.

Roses in Southern California can still bloom in the fall.

The orange fruits are now starting to turn their color into orange.

End of Summer Blooms

End of summer in the Southern California garden doesn’t mean everything is brown and tired. Some flowering plants continue to bloom. Roses are one of them. If roses are  deadheaded properly and watered enough they will continue to give out blooms although not as big as blooms in the spring.

I pruned my Bonica rose middle of summer and it is full of blooms although not as many and big as the blooms in the spring. The number of petals are also not as many as the spring bloom.

The Mexican sage is also in full bloom a few weeks after I cut it down in early summer. I cut it back to at least a foot and it came back beautifully.

End of summer is also the time to plant mums, asters pansy and petunia. I bought these flowering annuals at the local big box home center as they are all discounted. This is the best time to buy bargain perennials. They may not be looking at their best but that's because they are getting ready for fall and winter. They would come back beautifully in spring.