In general, we have spring and fall as our two biggest seasons for gardening: spring and fall.
Summer is basically weeding, watering and pest control. Winter is more just keeping our plants warm and alive plus pruning of some of your plants.
One of our gardening goals in fall is to prepare for winter. We may be starting fall, but it is hard to tell — one week it may be cool and the next could be hot again. I like to call itfall when nighttime temperatures fall in the 40s. Fall is one of our great gardening times of the year.
Now is the time of year to give your shade, ornamental and fruit trees a good fertilizing and a couple good deep watering. In the middle of October, we need to cut back the water to help the trees go dormant. The only exception is pine trees, which still need deep watering in October. Pine trees grow more in spring and fall and go dormant in winter and summer.
It is also the time to plant or replant bearded iris. If your beds are full and the plants are not blooming very well, it is time to revitalize your iris.
First dig up the clumps of iris and wash off the soil. I take a bucket of water and dunk the clump several times to loosen the soil. Iris grows from thick underground stems called rhizomes. Cut the clumps of iris where they naturally branch. Throw away the old, leafless sections and save the younger healthy rhizomes.
Now cut the leaves back to about 4 to 6 inches long. Replant the newly divided iris with the root downward and the rhizomes just below the soil. Water in the plants and replace any soil that washed off the rhizomes.
Bearded irises are a good choice of flowering bulb-like plants for the Antelope Valley. Most bulb plants like tulips and daffodils prefer a more acidic soil. Bearded iris is a great choice for the Antelope Valley because they prefer our alkaline, sandy soil. They take the heat and wind better than other bulbs. Less care, less water and fewer problems with great flowers — how can you beat a bearded iris?
Roses love our late summer and fall. Make sure you remove the old flowers off your flowers also known as deadheading. You can also fertilize your roses now. A couple of good deep waterings will help kick you roses out of the summer doldrums and into a great fall blooming cycle. I often have roses blooming into December.
Late summer should see some of your summer vegetables perking up and performing better after the heat of summer has passed. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash should start flowering and fruiting better once nighttime temperatures are in the 60s and the daytime temperatures are in the low 90s. Even though they are summer vegetables, most of them do not flower very well or pollinate if the temperatures are over 90 degrees.
Late summer pest control again is like our false spring, Aphids can become a problem again as plants start growing again. Mildews on roses that may have not been a problem during the summer may become a problem again as nighttime temperatures cool.
If you are trying to remove Bermuda grass, this is your last chance. Once the temperatures cool, it stops growing and the herbicides will not work.
Fall is the best time to plant lawns, landscape plants, winter flowers (pansies, primrose, stock) and winter vegetables (leafy vegetables such as lettuce, root crops and cauliflower and broccoli, to name a few). That means from now until the real fall, you need to do your garden planning and preparation for winter.
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