September Gardening in Southern California can have ups and downs, mostly in temperature. As I write this, Labor Day weekend is upon us and we are going to cool off a bit (before it gets hot again). If you are not traveling this would be an ideal time to get a few September Gardening Chores out of the way.
This month I am watching my milkweed for Monarch larvae and hoping that some of them will soon become chrysalis. The aphids on the milkweed has been awful but not bad enough to really damage the plants. Nature is so amazing to me, those aphids suck the heck out of the milkweed but do not touch the Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’ right behind it nor the scented geranium to the left. They are very specific insects! I go out daily and rub them off with a paper towel (used my fingers for a while but got sick of all the orange crap on them. I don’t want to use strong sprays of water (like I would on roses) for fear of knocking off my larvae. The birds do enough damage to them.
So in addition to the list I’m going to give you, I want to remind you to make sure to pay attention to how your plants are doing on a regular basis and adjust not only water, but think about adding mulch, shade cloth or hand picking those weeds. It is also a great time to plan for planting – because the best planting season for water wise plants is coming up just around the corner! Here is your September Gardening list for Southern California.
If you would like a little help creating a beautiful fall garden, consider giving me a call at 661-917-3521 or visit my website and contact me there. I’d LOVE to collaborate with you.
