Almost Fall

After a busy summer it is evident that fall is just around the corner. What are the signs? The days are getting shorter and the weather is crazy hot, at least for our area. It is typical that we get our warmest weather late in summer and on into early fall when the Santa Ana winds pick up. This is also fire season and we are hoping to be spared any scares this year. As far as the garden goes, it is showing signs of the stress of a dry summer with few blooms and those plants that are flowering have smaller blossoms than usual. The few water lovers in the garden as well as some of the established foundation plants will all get a long deep soak from the hose this week to keep them robust until the rains start. Hosing off the leaves that are covered with dust will cut back on insect problems that sometimes take advantage of the stressed plants this time of year. It is just the beginning of one of the busiest times of year in Southern California gardens due to October being the best time of year to plant or move most plants. I do plan on making some changes in the SJC gardens as I see plant combinations that are not working for me, or plants that are just poorly situated now that they have grown into their own. But not today. Today I plan on just enjoying one of the last few days of summer!