Around the Yard
* Plant pansies. As a trip to the nursery will make obvious, now is the time to plant pansies. Probably no other fall- or winter-planted flower will last as long in the garden. It’s not unusual to see them still blooming in June. Just make sure to plant pansies out in full sun, and don’t plant them deeper than they were in the pot. If anything, plant pansies so they sit a little higher in the ground.
Many new colors have appeared at nurseries in the last few years, but even more exciting are all the new violas, those pansy-like flowers with simpler, smaller but more plentiful flowers.
* Frost warning. Gardeners have already experienced a deep freeze in Pasadena that shriveled pentas and heliotrope, and turned summer’s peppers and tomatoes into mush. It looks as though it’s going to be a cold winter, and, as one horticulturist said, “we’re about due.” Even near the coast, I’m expecting to find ice on my lily pond one morning before this winter is done (and it doesn’t even begin until Monday).
To protect tender plants when frost is forecast, cover them with a sheet or bring those in containers under the eaves or indoors. Bring them out in the morning, and uncover plants before they get too toasty under the sun.
It’s impossible to protect most plants, so if they do get nipped, resist the temptation to tidy them up right away. Wait until spring to do any pruning. Pruning will simply encourage new growth, which might get frosted again. And on frosty mornings, don’t step on the garden hose or it might snap. I know, I’ve done it a couple of times.
* When not to cut back. While this is a great time to cut back and shape up many plants, better wait until March or early spring to cut back or prune those that grow mostly when the weather is warm, whether that be hibiscus, the many kinds of begonias or impatiens.
These won’t grow in the cooling weather and will just sit until spring. In the meantime, these defoliated plants sometimes die from the damp or from simple inactivity. When the weather warms up and these plants are ready to grow, then you can tidy them up.
