Spring Colors and Water Conservation
Are we finally levelling out and getting some warm days and mild nights? Regardless of the discomfort we might be feeling, the plants are hard at work pushing their way to the surface, making green leaves, and bursting with flowers in the hopes of reproduction.
It seems as if every spring there is a slightly different order to the blooms and the magnitude of the display varies. We can attribute this to three environmental factors; water through the winter, spring temperatures, and the varying bloom cycles of some plants. Additionally, fertilization the previous summer has a definite effect on the amount of blooms.
If winter water has been adequate, natural or irrigated, the air temperature warms and stays that way for a few days, and the plant happens to be in a super bloom cycle, the results can be show-stopping. I’m talking about the kind that makes you back up or drive around the block just to make sure it’s real.
India Hawthorne (Indian Hawthorne) Rhaphiolepis indica
Show-stoppers for me this year, so far, have been India Hawthorne, Sandpaper Verbena, and Lydia Broom. Here are some photos I took while driving through a neighborhood this past weekend. India Hawthorne is a plant we have only been seriously planting for a few years so far and it seems to do exceptionally well here. It will take a lot of sun or a little shade and has nice pink blooms in late spring.
Sandpaper verbena, Verbena rigida
Sandpaper Verbena and Lydia Broom are both very water-conservative and perform well even in not-so-great soil. The trick, like with a lot of super drought-tolerant varieties, is to not over water. If they are on irrigation with the rest of the landscape, try to move the drip emitters a little further away from the plant as it matures and spreads to avoid waterlogged soil near the crown of the main plant.
Lydia or Lydian Broom, Genista lydia
The local nurseries are filled to the brim with exciting varieties, old and new, so get out of the easy chair and go take a stroll. Pack a lunch. Nurseries should be places to enjoy.
If they don’t have a picnic table for visitors to sit at, ask them when they will be putting that feature in so you can spend some time contemplating between purchases!
Spring is here and it’s time to get growing! Your heart and your mind will thank you. If you grow a few veggies, your stomach will thank you too.
See You Around The Garden!
The Horticoach