Planning a seasonal garden - Santa Cruz Sentinel

ON GARDENING

Planning a seasonal garden

Big Mexican scarlet sage (Salvia gesnerifolia ‘Tequila’). This plant is one of the largest salvias, growing up to 12 feet high. It has large, heart-shaped, aromatic leaves with interesting textures and veins. Striking black stems support the bright red blossoms with a black calyx, blooming in winter and spring. Control the size of this vigorous grower by cutting it to 1 feet high after the bloom period. PHOTOS COURTESY TOM KARWIN

Forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis). This is one of the few salvias with yellow flowers, which produces in 12-inch-long spikes during late fall and early winter, while many plants go dormant. The blossoms delight bees and certain butterflies. This plant grows robustly in partial sun to nearly full shade, reaches 10 feet tall by 5 feet wide, and develops clumps over time. It is a member of the mint plant family (Lamiaceae) and a native of Mexico.

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The lack of color in the winter garden might motivate some gardeners (perhaps you!) to resolve to develop a garden for all seasons.

Today’s image gallery includes examples of the too-sparse winter blooms in my garden.

We have already passed New Year’s Eve, the traditional occasion for resolutions, but this time of the year — early winter — can be a timely opportunity for future planning.

Step One: Setting goals

Let’s begin with adopting one or more goals for garden development. Garden Design magazine recently published landscape designer Rebecca Sweet’s thoughts on “2025 Trends in Garden Design.” You can download this article (gardendesign.com/trends/2025.html), but here’s a summary with my comments:

1. The Rise of Native Plants and “Nativars”: Meeting the demand for eco-friendly gardens

We have recommended including a substantial share of California natives in the garden for easy cultivation and wildlife support. Nativars, by the way, are cultivated varieties of native plants.

2. Redefining Perfection: Finding harmony in a less tidy garden

Some gardeners want their landscape to resemble indoor orderliness, while others favor a wild environment. Each gardener can choose a middle ground based on individual preference.

3. The New Look of Low-Water Landscapes

Succulent plants can bring easy cultivation and a pleasing range of colors and forms to the Mediterranean climate of Monterey Bay area gardens. Succulents include cacti for gardeners, not spine-averse.

4. Fire-Resistant Gardening

Succulents are also more fire-resistant than other garden plants, making them a creative component of a fire-safe environment. This should be among the goals of gardeners in fire-prone settings.

5. Creating More Living Spaces for People and Wildlife

Gardens can be planned to include recreational resources for owners and guests, as well as shelters and food sources for wildlife. A multifunctional space brings the garden closer to nature.

6. Turning to Resilient Plants to Manage Environmental Stressors

Some plants are naturally resilient, while others struggle to flourish under climate change conditions. These are slow-moving but inexorable changes that influence plant selection.

7. Focus on Mental Well-Being in the Garden

Garden work can be therapeutic for many gardeners and could be supplemented by spaces designed for relaxation, reading and hands-free meditation.

8. A Nod to Nostalgia

Plant growers and nurseries besiege gardeners with the latest “irresistible” introductions, while some gardeners appreciate the familiarity and classic looks of old favorites. It’s gratifying to know that past treasures are still available from exchange.seedsavers.org.

9. Portable Plants: Gardening while renting

Container gardening offers portability and small space requirements, plus opportunities for creative clusters of colorful plants in attractive pots. Renters and long-term residents can enjoy container gardening from different perspectives.

10. Grow Your Garden Knowledge: Exciting gardening education opportunities

Continuing study is an essential gardening component: there’s always more to learn. We learn from experience, other gardeners (through friends and societies) and burgeoning online resources. Check out Garden Design’s 2025 spring series of webinars (gardendesign.com/webinars) as one example. This column will list others worth considering.Step Two: Developing on a seasonal garden

Gardening is always about the future, so developing a year-round garden involves installing new plants (or moving or dividing existing plants) in time to be well-established and ready to bloom at the targeted time. Our bloom-time targets for the present discussion include early, mid- and late spring, i.e., April, May and June.

April blooms

Plant cool season annuals in January. In the Monterey Bay area’s mild winter, they will establish quickly. Examples include pansies, primroses and snapdragons.

Also, divide or plant early blooming perennials, e.g., hellebores, lungwort, creeping phlox and forsythia.

It is too late to plant spring-flowering bulbs (daffodil, crocus, tulip and others) unless you have purchased pre-chilled bulbs or chilled them yourself.

May blooms

If your microclimate is on the cool side, install mid-season plants soon. Examples of bulbs include hyacinth and allium; perennials include columbines and peonies. Tree peonies and Itoh peonies do well in our coastal area, while herbaceous peonies require a chill period in the region’s inland areas.

Install mid-season annuals in February and March in time for May blooms. Examples: calendula, sweet alyssum, stocks.

It’s already late to plant some mid-spring bloomers, such as bearded iris, which should be planted in the fall. Make a note for future reference!

Bleeding heart is best planted in the fall but could be planted in the early spring, after the last frost date, usually Jan. 20, for the Monterey Bay area. Still, it depends on various factors: elevation, location and urban or rural areas.

June blooms

January to March is the period to install perennials and biennials like foxglove, salvia and coreopsis.

During February and March, plant late-blooming annuals, which will thrive with rising temperatures. Examples include cosmos, zinnia and nasturtium.

Shasta daisies are best planted in the fall but can be planted during mild spells in winter or early spring.

Advance your gardening knowledge

The preceding recommendations for spring-blooming plants refer to seedlings and plants in 4-inch or one-gallon pots. When planting seeds, review the packet information.

The plants mentioned in this column are examples. For the best planting time for a plant of interest, ask Google, “When should I plant (botanical name of plant)?”

This week in the garden

In addition to planning the development of spring blooms, here are two timely tasks.

Prepare the soil of the future planting area well in advance by adding compost or other amendments to support healthy root growth.

Consider a succession planting schedule. Stagger the planting of bulbs, perennials and annuals in intervals to create a garden with blooms that progress from early spring through late spring and into summer.

Enjoy your garden!

Tom Karwin is a past president of Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Monterey Bay Iris Society, a past president and Lifetime Member of the Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society and a Lifetime UC Master Gardener (Certified 1999-2009). He is now a board member of the Santa Cruz Hostel Society, and active with the Pacific Horticultural Society. To view daily photos from his garden, facebook.com/ongardeningcom-56651176 3375123. For garden coaching info and an archive of previous On Gardening columns, visit ongardening.com.