1Fruit: Lime trees are full of fruit right now. Considered the most cold-sensitive of citrus trees, the Bearss variety grows well in our area where minimum winter temperatures regularly stay above 32 degrees. In Southern California, this seedless fruit, also known as Tahiti or Persian lime, is suitable for planting in the San Fernando Valley and anywhere west, east or south from there. Bearss fruit — named for John Bearss, who developed it in Porterville in 1895 — gets about as big as a lemon and turns from green to pale yellow as it matures. Although most fruit ripens from winter to late spring, some may appear throughout the year. Classic Mexican or Key limes, the type used in bars and for flavoring Key lime pie, are more frost sensitive than Bearss and would suffer from the cold unless grown closer to San Diego or anywhere along the Southern California coast. However, when placed against a wall, a container-grown lime or any frost-sensitive plant may survive when a cold night is forecast. Heat absorbed by the wall during the day will radiate out at night, raising the temperature around adjacent plants by several degrees. This phenomenon also occurs when a container plant is placed under a tree whose foliage is close to the earth; the heat absorbed by the soil radiates at night but is partly contained under the tree’s foliage, to the benefit of container plants placed below it.

2Vegetables: Plant mustard greens from seed for a tangy addition to your salad plate. The leaves have a peppery flavor that evokes arugula or even horseradish. The spiciness in mustard greens departs when they are cooked, as they take on a taste closer to that of spinach. Mustard greens are classified as a brown mustard; thus, Dijon mustard is made from its seeds. Yellow table mustard, on the other hand, is made from white mustard seeds. Both brown mustard (Brassica juncea) and white mustard (Brassica/Stipa alba) seeds are widely available through Internet seed merchants.

3Herbs: After harvesting herbs, hang them upside down to dry. The reason for this is to promote flow — from the stems into the leaves — of the essential oils responsible for flavor. Lemon balm, mint, basil and tarragon require immediate drying since they have a higher moisture content than other herbs; if they are not immediately dried, they could get moldy. Hang them for one to two weeks until foliage turns brittle. You will decrease the shelf life of herbs’ leaves and seeds by crushing or grinding them. If you must crush or grind them for recipes, do so immediately before their use. When it comes to making tea, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.

4Flowers: It often seems to occur that just when you notice a plant that flowers brilliantly in a certain color that defies easy description, you meet up almost immediately with flowers of a similar color on another plant. The current color in question is an orange-yellow or gold-yellow blend that is seen in coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora) and certain low-growing bush lantana cultivars such as Sunburst and New Gold. Plant these and other perennials now, as long as your soil has dried out from the rain so it is not hopelessly compacted when digging a hole. You can hasten the drying of soil by adding compost. Coreopsis and lantana are among a small minority of long-flowering perennials that can handle heavy soil — that is, consisting of at least 20% clay particles. Coreopsis and lantana attract beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings, while both plants are visited by birds and butterflies of every description.

5Orchids: There is a significant number of fragrant types, but the most well-known is Vanilla planifolia, the species from whose beans (seeds) vanilla extract is made. Vanilla is a vining orchid that grows up to 30 feet tall in its homeland of tropical Mexico and Central America. In that habitat, vanilla is pollinated by hummingbirds and bees, but not very efficiently. Production costs are high because flowers last one day and must be hand-pollinated, so daily flower inspection and pollination are necessary. Furthermore, vanilla extract must be aged for up to two years before its flavor is fully expressed. You can grow a vanilla orchid as an indoor plant; it’s a challenge, requiring constant fertilization and close attention to water needs. Vanilla orchids are readily available on etsy.com from $10-$80, depending on the size of the plant. Incidentally, Dendrobium orchids are considered among the easiest to grow, and most of them are fragrant too.

— Joshua Siskin