snapdragonsUnderstanding What We Can or Can’t Grow

By Iris Watson


January is a month of contrasts.We race through November and December at a frenetic pace and our ensuing exhaustion is followed by the sweet relief of new opportunities and new beginnings. I always think of January as spring-cleaning time for our mind and soul. It is a month full of possibilities. It is a time when we can dream, plan, organize, purge and make lists.

While you are lounging around making those lists and dreaming those dreams, let me help you with a few reality checks. While that famous groundhog would have us think he knows all, he really is just a rodent with a press agent. Seeing our shadows on Feb. 2 is not a big deal here in Alameda, as quite often we have what is referred to as our “false spring.” This is when the sun comes out and the temperature warms up to almost balmy, the buds on trees start to swell and the daffodils are nodding their little heads. Everyone dashes to the nursery and wants tomatoes, basil and impatiens.

Reality check No. 1: Tomatoes, basil and impatiens hate nighttime temperatures below 55 degrees. At best they will be stunted; at worst they will die.You may be able to find them available, but do resist.

Reality check No. 2: If it’s Monet’s garden you are hoping for, best you look into cheap flights to France—those tulips and daffodils should have been planted in October or November to have a satisfactory spring display. Having said that, if your bulbs are still languishing in the crisper of your refrigerator, by all means plant them now and pray for a long winter.What have you got to lose? That groundhog is wrong as often as he is right.

January is traditionally bare-root month for some plants, among them roses and deciduous fruit trees.The term “bare root” is a bit of a misnomer in our area, as few nurseries really bare the roots of plants. Our relatively mild temperatures ensure that plants, like rust, never really truly sleep.The roots can grow 24/7, so removing all of the soil from them may cause serious problems.

Speaking of fruit trees brings us to reality check No. 3—not all fruit trees flourish in our marine climate. Flourish is the operative word here. For instance, cherries and apricots are early crops, coming to fruition in May and June. The plants will grow here, and you will probably get fruit. However, we seldom have the heat and sun early enough to produce the sugars that make these fruits so delicious.

Some really wonderful fruit trees that we can grow successfully are plums (Satsuma is to die for), certain apples (Golden Delicious and Granny Smith are great), figs (my favorite is Brown Turkey) and most of the varieties of citrus. Avoid peaches and nectarines, please—that dreadful peach leaf curl fungus is an absolute given in our climate. You may get peaches or nectarines, but they will be far less than stellar; the disease weakens the tree, and there are a multitude of pests and diseases just lurking in the shadows, ready to take advantage of a sick tree.

Grapes are another fruit that has extremely limited success. Actually, I would only suggest you grow grapevines for the culinary use of the leaves. It’s that heat/sugar thing again.The same goes for grapefruit. This citrus needs lots of warmth to produce good edible fruit.The great news is that we can grow most every other citrus—with stunning successes.

And finally, reality check No. 4—we obviously do not live in a perfect world, so learn to live with some of Mother Nature’s imperfections. Hollyhocks will always get really ugly rust on the foliage, but if you plant them in the back of the border and don’t look too closely, they are gorgeous. Snapdragons suffer from the same fungal disease and the solution is the same. Just plant something glorious in the foreground to distract your eye. Zucchini will always get powdery mildew on the leaves but will still produce more fruit than you will ever need or use. And finally, we may never be able to grow Plumeria without getting mites and scale and sooty mold, but they are an excellent excuse to go to Hawaii.