Get your Yard Ready for the Winter Holiday Season
This is the time of year when the weather is finally beginning to change in Southern California. Some trees are starting to change colors as they adjust to the cooler winter temperatures and others are pushing out new growth all over the place! One of the most overlooked practices this time of year by homeowners is watering and fertilizing. Maybe because of the cool weather and lower temperatures, you think less effort is needed but these are the perfect conditions to care for your yard. The November weather creates an environment that allows for the most efficient root growth (and foliage growth, depending on what type of plant you have in your yard). The weather changing also means that you must update your watering schedule to match those changes.
Trimming
When you are starting to trim trees or prune plants make sure to only get rid of what is needed to clean them up or to trim them back for healthier growth. A good thing to look out for are any branches that are not doing so well that might be taking nutrients from other branches around them. Pruning those branches/sections will help keep the rest of the plant strong!
When you are trying to figure out how much you should cut off, a good rule of thumb is to get rid of no more than 20% of the tree or plant.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing everything in your landscape and “hardening them up” as we say in the industry is a great way to give your landscape one last push through the upcoming winter months. Fertilizing your palms, shade trees, evergreen trees, flowering trees, and even your dormant trees now gives them the best chance of not only surviving, but thriving, through the winter. This extra attention will be worth it once the spring temperatures come back.
We recommend using our custom blended fertilizers for your landscape needs as they are specifically formatted for our soil and weather conditions.
Watering
During the cooler months it is important that you update your watering schedule and lessen the watering frequency. This allows trees, plants, and even your lawn a chance to develop strong deep roots that will encourage more growth come the following spring. This also creates a landscape that is less susceptible to disease and infestation from any insects that might be around.
It is important to still continue watering deeply each and every time you water and remember that different plants will require different watering frequencies.
Gardening
Fall and winter is a great time to be planting your winter veggies and annuals in SoCal. That’s plenty to keep you busy this growing season! These should all be planted or transplanted now and fertilized once a month while they are growing. These need to be watered regularly and given a chance to dry out in between each watering cycle. This will help them develop good strong roots through post production.
Top 5 Trees Recommended for November Planting
Majestic Ash
The Majestic Ash is an evergreen seedless tree variety that stays greener than most other ash varieties. They feature great, shiny green leaves and its narrow, upright shape makes it an ideal shade and privacy tree for any potential planting locations in your landscape. These trees are low-maintenance and virtually pest-free, it makes them ideal for a yard or street plantings. This is the ultimate shade tree, and we can never have enough shade in California!
Chinese Pistache
If you dream of seeing fall colors in your yard, the Chinese Pistache tree will deliver! These deciduous trees have a clean, dark green umbrella-shaped canopy that provides plenty of shade. In the fall, the leaves go from a luminous orange to red, and sometimes yellow. We recommend you plant them in rows, where they can be used as a natural privacy screen that can block unwanted views in style! In case the name made you think of pistachio nuts, these trees do not produce any at all!
Tipu Tree
This fast-growing water-wise tree is an excellent option for those water-conscious homeowners looking to add shade and color at the same time. The Tipu tree is one of the fastest growing varieties we offer at Moon Valley Nurseries. In time, it's upright and open umbrella shaped canopy will provide shade where desired. When it comes to color, it's flowers are a golden yellow color and are in abundance around late spring to early summer. It can become drought tolerant once established, and it thrives in cold and hot weather conditions.
Strawberry Tree
This Strawberry Tree is an excellent design plant that will bring year-round interest to your garden. Homeowners in Southern California will appreciate its drought-tolerant features. In fact, the Strawberry tree thrives in the Southern California sunshine and needs little water once established. This Strawberry tree fits well with a variety of landscape themes, including desert themes surrounded by succulents. Some homeowners may even just want to make this tree a striking focal point in a colorful garden.
Fruiting Olive
Olive trees are one of our favorite trees in Southern California. We have been growing them here for decades and even have the largest Olive tree farm, so we know what we are doing when it comes to Olive trees! These trees are a great choice for adding shade to you yard or any landscape. These trees also produce olives that can be used for cooking and making oil. You’d never have to buy olive oil from the grocery store again! The best part about these trees are how much they love the heat and their drought tolerance, once established!
Moon Valley Nurseries is your one stop shop for all your landscape needs. Our experts have decades worth of experience and they will be able to assist you with any projects or questions you may have. Remember to change your watering schedule as we enter the winter and be sure to come by your nearest Moon Valley Nurseries locations and check out these trees! It’s not too late for #FreeFallPlanting.
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