Three Quick, Easy Shade Ideas to Keep Plants From Burning in Hot Summer Gardens

During the heat of summer even plants who like full sun may need a little break. It has been in the 100's for a few days here in Southern California and the plants are starting to show the stress.

Your first impulse may be to water them more. Sometimes that helps if the plant was dry to begin with. But turning your garden into a bog could make things worse. Instead, try a little temporary shade.

Here are a few cheap, do-it-yourself ideas for shade in the garden:

Staple some shade cloth to the back of a small fence: This is a little piece of fencing left over from a project. I used a staple gun to attach a small piece of shade cloth to the back. The cloth is fastened at the top and down the sides.

The ends of the fence are longer, so I can push them into the soil. Voila! My rose is protected from burnt canes.

You can also build a small square frame and staple on the shade cloth. Either attach a foot to the frame or lean it over your plant (if it is strong enough).

Use up extra tomato cages: This pretty spring umbrella fits into the top of the cage for a quick patch of deeper shade.

You need to attach the handle of the umbrella to the cage so it doesn't fly away.

You could also weave shade cloth around a tomato cage. Or get creative and slip an old t-shirt over the cage.

If the plant is too big to fit under the cage, just place the cage between your plant and the late afternoon sun.

Cover your existing fencing: This is a small wire fence covered with a plastic tablecloth from the dollar store.

You can cut it to fit without guilt. Have some fun and use colors or patterns that fit with the theme of your garden. The cloth needs to be attached to the fence. Poke a hole in the tablecloth to tie it to the fencing with zip-ties, wire, string or use clothespins.

If you don't have shade cloth use fabric, old sheets or an old shirt. Garden flags or fun lawn signs can come in handy for shade too.

You need shade too. Don't forget to put on some sunscreen while you're out there in the sun. Good luck and happy gardening!

Growing Kalanchoe for Drought Tolerant Gardens or as House Plants for Friday Floral

You may not think of kalanchoes as succulent plants, but they are. Kalanchoes are another member of the Crassulaceae or Stonecrop family. They are reliable dry garden bloomers known for their bright flowers. Most varieties are perennial and evergreen, making them perfect candidates for my hot, dry landscape.

Their flowers bloom in small bouquets of upright clusters from 2 to 3 inches across, which are made up of small daisy-like flowers of 5 petals. Flower colors come in an amazing range; from white, yellow, orange, red, pink and everything in between. Flowers can also be creamy pastels or have flowers with more than one color on the petals.

One of the more popular varieties are kalanchoe blossfeldiana. A grouping of these drought tolerant plants make a bold statement in the garden. Bloom is heaviest in spring, but they can bloom all year with a little feeding of fertilizer after the first bloom.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana have large, leathery leaves about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The leaf edges are usually lightly scalloped and may have a slight tint of red. They grow up to 2 feet tall and as wide. Some hybrid plants can have smooth edged leaves or different colors combinations.

Like most succulent plants, water requirements for kalanchoe are low. They can take average garden water, but will also grow well with much less. Mine are seldom watered and do fine on my average 7 inches of rainfall a year.

Kalanchoe plants are great in containers. You can pair them with other flowers or use them to fill in blank spots in the garden. They make nice patio table centerpieces too. Since they can handle drought, they are a bit more forgiving than other plants if you forget to water them!

Care of kalanchoe plants outdoors is easy in my mild-winter garden. They are hardy to USDA Zone 10b, or 35 degrees, (Sunset Zone: 17, 21-24), Outdoors, their sun requirements are from full sun to part shade. If it gets over 100 degrees for more than a few days your plants may develop brown spots which is a sign of sunburn. Either move the pots, or give them a little shade during the hottest part of the day with a temporary screen. Indoors they prefer a bright windowsill with lots of light.

Kalanchoes are popular gifts during the winter months and also make nice housewarming presents. If you are lucky enough to receive one, the first thing you might want to do is check if the soil is dry. If so, give your plant some water and let it drain in the sink for about an hour.

Seeds saved from any hybrid kalanchoe plants will not grow out to look the same as the parent plants. It is much easier to propagate your kalanchoe with leaf or stem cuttings. Take a small cutting about 2 or 3 inches long. Bury about half of the stem in damp soil and keep it slightly moist for the first two weeks. After that, let the soil dry out between waterings. This is a great, free way to expand your plant collection, or use them as gifts for your friends. Good luck and happy gardening!

You Say Aeonium I Say Echeveria Succulent Plant; It Is Blooming For Friday Floral

Here is an update on the flowing succulent plant in my garden. My Complete Book of Cactus and Succulent volume is telling me this is an aeonium haworthii and even includes a photo. Most of the aeoniums I see have flat leaves and tend to look like a plate on the end of a stick. Their leaves tend to be flat and long.

This plant has leaves on the end of a stick, but they are fat and pointy on the ends. It has a red tint around the edges of the lime green leaves. Much more like the echeverias I've seen. This plant forms a tidy dome of green rosettes when grown in the ground. It also has aerial roots hanging down into the soil.

Either way, it is blooming now in my southern California garden. It is such a unique process I am documenting it for my succulent plant-loving readers. First, it sends up a separate stalk over the dome which at first looks like an alien growth or a cluster of baby plants on the end of a branch. Now the leaves are spreading out along the stalk as it gets longer and we can see yellow buds forming on the very ends. The buds will open to 1/2 inch yellow daisy-like flowers. The branch dies off after setting seed.

Of all the succulents I am growing this one seems to be the most susceptible to high temperatures, especially during my 120 degree summers. It gets a little bit of shade from my Baby Jade (Portulacaria Afra), but I need to rig up shade during heat waves. Next time I will plant my aeoniums in part shade. Later on this summer I'll share some of my crazy discount shade ideas with you.

Aeonium can survive light frosts and are hardy to about 35 degrees in winter. Aeonium is classified as drought tolerant and will live on rainfall alone in my garden. However, it does start to look a bit shriveled during heat waves so I sometimes sneak in a good soak every few weeks when the weather heats up. Propagation is by simply sticking a branch into the ground and keeping it watered every other week or so.

My succulent patch has an underwater theme. The Aeonium fills in the role of sea anemone. A ceramic fish I found at the dollar store adds to the theme, (although I should paint it orange to look like a Clown Fish). A Gollum Jade grows next to it and adds to the theme planting in the roll of sea coral. I think the suggestion of water in a dry garden adds a refreshing feel. Try to stay cool out there and happy gardening!

Flowering Lavender Herb Plants in My Sunny, Dry Southern California Garden

For today's Friday Floral here is one of my favorite plants; lavender. I have two French lavender plants growing in my garden. Both have been flowering for months now and both have proven to be extremely drought tolerant and beautiful. Even lavender leaves are sticky with essential oils and perfume the air. I use the flowers and leaves for filling in bouquets and let branches dry in the bathroom. They can also be used for flavoring in salads or vinegars.

Two of the more popular home garden forms are French lavender (Lavandula dentata) and English lavender (lavandula angustifolia, l. officinalis). French lavender reaches 3 to 4 tall and 4 to 6 feet wide and is more drought tolerant with more compact flowers. English Lavender plants are smaller, reaching only about 2 feet high and wide. The English variety is known to be shorter-lived (3 to 5 years), but is considered to have a more complex fragrance.

Lavender is an aromatic herb grown for centuries and appreciated for its fragrant, purplish blue flowers. These drought-tolerant shrubs take full sun to partial shade outdoors. They can take moderate water, but can also survive in low water gardens once established (usually after a year). The flowers bloom on long, square-shaped stalks and buds can be up to two inches long.

I planted my first lavender near the house where my plants may get an extra splash of water. It held up so well, I planted another one in The Back 40. As my readers may know, The Back 40 has a very laissez-faire watering schedule. Given the drought and water restrictions, that means my schedule is perhaps more lazy than fair. The second one (which basically lives off our average 7 inches of rainfall a year) has spread about 4 feet wide and is about 4 feet tall now. The flowers are heavenly.

When lavender plants mature, they have narrow green or gray green needle shaped leaves on woody branches. They are great in rock gardens, dry herb gardens or as low, informal hedges. They add structure to the landscape with their evergreen leaves and are a good height for the middle of the flower bed. Mix lavender shrubs in with other drought tolerant herbs like rosemary and sage to enjoy their fragrance mixture on hot summer nights.

After the second year or so, lavenders can develop a dry thatch, or collection of dry leaves on the inside of the shrub. The plant can develop long spindly branches. This means it is time to prune back your plants. Fall is usually the best time to do this, especially in mild winter areas. To make your lavender will grow back thick and fresh, trim the branches back to about 10 inches. I like to trim mine back in phases so the plant doesn't look so bald, and bring the branches indoors to freshen things up.

The intoxicating scent of lavender has been used in love potions, perfumes and soaps for centuries. It is also credited with the ability to promote chastity. It has been worn to elevate moods and used in aromatherapy to cure nervous depression. In Victorian times a gift of lavender flowers could mean either loyalty or mistrust. Modern science has discovered that lavender oil has antispasmodic, antidepressant and carminative properties.

An old recipe called “The 4 Thieves Vinegar” was used in 1630 to combat the Great Plague in France. It was a combination of thyme, lavender, rosemary and sage steeped in vinegar. It got the name from a group of thieves who looted the city without getting sick. Their death sentence was commuted in order to discover their secret to not catching the disease themselves.

In the past lavender was used as a 'strewing herb' in hospitals and homes to disinfect and clear the air. Dried lavender blossoms make excellent potpourri and can be tied up in cotton fabric before being tucked into drawers or linen closets. Using lavender in your closets also has a practical side; it also has insecticidal properties. I like to layer the branches into my woodpile to keep out bugs.

Lavender plants hardy to USDA Zone 6 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Mine have survived light frosts without a problem. You might be able to get them through a cold snap with an extra shovel-full of mulch or a frost blanket. These photos are all of French lavender. Close your eyes and imagine their scent. There. Feel better? Happy gardening!

Hopseed Bush Or Dodonaea Viscosa, Fast Growing Drought Tolerant Screen Plants for So. California

I have been profiling a number of drought tolerant, fast growing screen plants lately and Dodonaea belongs on the list too.  These lacy shrubs are also called Hop Bush or Hopseed Bush after their seed pods that resemble hops.  Hop Seed bushes come with leaves in either bright, lime green or dark purple.  Both versions have leaves about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and are very shiny on multiple shrubby branches.  In Los Angeles the hot sellers are purple.  I of course, am partial to the green ones. 

Some Dodonaea are native to Australia, but Dodonaea viscosa is native to the Western US and Hawaii.  The Zone breakdown for Dodonaea viscosa is: USDA Zone: 9-11, and  Sunset Zone: 7-24.  

These drought tolerant shrubs are fast growers to about 10 feet tall and almost as wide.  They take full sun to part shade.  Once established in the garden (1-2 years) they can survive on rainfall alone. 

Hopseed bushes have a growth habit that is a bit airy, with lots of small branches and the long leaves adding to the lacy feel.  They can be trimmed as hedges or espaliers for a slightly denser effect or pick one strong branch to train them as a tree.  Dodonaea are good for layering in the landscape, to create a full, lush feel in the border.  

Hopseeds are perfect for the back of the bed (where the sprinkler won't reach), along fences or as border screens.  You might try planting a few of these to wall off a secluded garden room in the back yard.  In late spring they develop large, papery seed pods, usually light brown, which hang on for weeks and rustle in the breeze.  Create a little resting spot near them so you can listen to their rushing whisper and calm down after a long day. 

Although the seed pods break down quickly in the soil, I do not recommend planting these bushes near pools or any other place where neatness counts. 

About four years ago I planted three large green Hopseeds and a smaller purple shrub.  All four were in one gallon pots.  I asked my nursery guy for the biggest one gallons he had but one of them had to be purple (I had to see what the fuss was all about).  I wound up with a small purple and three large green plants which probably weren't selling so fast.  Fine.  I was happy to get the less popular green ones because they were already big.  I wanted to screen off a big chunk of the chain link fence out back and fast.  The green Dodonaeas were  a little rootbound, but off to a good start.  

After four years the green hopseeds have grown to over eight feet tall and about six feet wide.  They can get up to 15 feet high and as wide.  My purple Hopseed is still thin; only about six feet tall and has only spread to about four feet.  The plants are growing near each other, get the same amount of water (not much) but a bit less sunlight.  Perhaps that is why the purple Dodonaea is lagging in the growth department.  My Sunset Western Garden Book tells me that the purple and bronze cultivars also need more sun to keep their color. 

The purple Hopseed sort of recedes into the back of the bed, creating a dark shadowy shape.  It would be a great effect if you want to create some mystery in your garden: what's back there? is a secret chamber hidden behind those leaves?  The green Hop Shrubs in contrast, are very lacy, willowy and stand out.  They have grown through the shrubs next to them and I like the wild effect of having bright green sprigs waving in the breeze.

Nether color Hopseed creates a solid screen the way a brush cherry can.  You can sort of see through them if you try.  But they're pretty , drought tolerant and fast growing.  Think of them as green lace curtains for your garden.  Here are a few photos for you to enjoy. Happy gardening!

Santolina Or Lavender Cotton Tough Drought Tolerant Shrub With Yellow Button Flowers For Friday Floral

Of all the flowering drought tolerant shrubs I have planted in my garden I count santolina as one of the best.  This is a real tough customer when it comes to being completely drought tolerant in my hot, baking southern California garden.  I freely admit to having a lasses fair attitude towards watering.  Factor in our mandatory water rationing in LA and I'm a bit more lazy than fair.  I planted my santolina in a dry bed with curry plant, sage and artemisia.  The plan was to water them and get them established the first year.  By the second year they were on their own.  When it blooms, those bright yellow flowers make it the star of the show! 

Being a Mediterranean native, santolina or Lavender cotton, was a natural choice for my climate.  I also have heavy clay alkaline soil, (yes, the kind they use to make the adobe bricks).  It started out as a small 4 inch pot.  I like to start my plant experiments in 4 inchers because they're cheaper and easier to find than 1 gallon containers and I feel less guilty if I wind up killing them off.  These shrubs have tiny, slightly hairy grey leaves (sort of like lavender) on woody stems. They grow to about 1 foot tall and can spread over 2 feet wide.  In summer they cover themselves with small lemon yellow button-shaped flowers.  

This plant is Santolina chamaecyparissus. There are a few named varieties including Nana and Lemon Queen.  Their zones are; Sunset 2 - 24 or USDA 6 - 9, meaning they are hardy to about 35 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Like regular lavender, Lavender Cotton should be trimmed back in the fall.  Otherwise they tend to form a woody thatch on the inside.  If you don't want to trim it all at once take it off in stages.  After mine blooms I cut the entire branch back to about 8 inches.  There will still a few branches with leaves on them to hide the bare twigs.  Overall growth habit is rounded and fairly neatly shaped.

The whitish grey leaves make a nice contrast against greener shrubs.  This would look pretty blooming with bright orange California poppies or deep blue Pacific Iris.  It would have looked great with my sage, but they just missed each other by a few weeks.  Let me know if you have tried this plant in your garden and what it's blooming with.

Aeonium And Crassula Tetragona Succulent Plant Flowers For Friday Floral

A few of my succulent plants are flowering out in the succulent patch.  First is my Aeonium.  It is one of the many plants called Hens and Chicks.  I've written about aeonium before and I even have one that changes colors with the seasons.  These succulent plants slowly form clumps a foot or more around with aerial roots dangling down to the soil.   The flowers are sent up above the mound on stalks.  At first the flowers look like some kind of crazy growth, but eventually they unfold into yellow tubular flowers.  This photo shows the flower stalk emerging from "the dome".

I am currently calling this an Aeonium haworthii or Pinwheel because that's how it is labeled in The Complete Book of Cactus and Succulents.  Personally, I think it behaves and looks much more like an Echeveria, but what do I know?  They are easy to propagate with cuttings, just poke the stem into the soil and keep it moist.  My aeoniums seem to suffer the most from hot blazing sun in the summer.

Next we have a beautiful Crassula Tetragona.  These are used as pine trees in bonsai.  But, I like to let them grow wild in my garden.  They have a nice deep bluish green color to the leaves.  They grow to about 4 feet tall and about a foot wide.  They flower from the tips of their branches.  The blossoms are clusters of tiny creamy white flowers with a flat top. They remind me of Queen Anne's lace, but slightly smaller.  

They are hardy to about 40 degrees, but I've had good luck getting them through frosts by throwing a sheet over them.  I've written about crassula tetragona on the blog too.  They do not seem to mind the hot, southern California sun here. 

These crassulas are so easy to propagate even my dog knows how to do it.  He sometimes knocks branches off when he's on patrol in the garden.  I keep finding them coming up in odd places.  When they are laying on the ground crassula tetragona form roots just under the leaves that reach down to the soil.  Then the ends of the branches grow upwards to form new plants.  The normal way to propagate these cuttings is to put a branch into the soil a few inches and keep it moist for the first few weeks.

All crassulas are drought tolerant and most will freeze if left unprotected in the garden.  I love succulents because there are so many different shapes, colors and kinds.  I can group different plants together since they all have similar growing requirements.  I like the contrast between the light green aeonium rosettes and the dark green spiky crassula leaves.  And eventually they flower.  Happy gardening!