Happy New Year from the UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties! 

Although it's winter we haven't seen much rain so far this year. Let's talk about the culprit, shall we? Are you familiar with La Niña? She's the “little girl” to El Niño's “little boy,” part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, a periodic variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Cooling in the eastern Pacific causes the jet stream to be pushed north, which affects rainfall in the southwestern US. What that means for us is above average rain and below average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest east to the northern Great Plains, upper Mississippi valley and Great Lakes and below average rain and above average temperatures in the southeast, gulf coast, central and southern Great Plains, southwest and much of California. According to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, these conditions are likely to persist through the winter of 2017-2018, with a return to ENSO-neutral conditions in the mid to late spring.

So where does that leave our gardens and landscapes? Dry, dry, dry.

Evergreen plants are often the hardest hit by La Niña because they continue to use water for photosynthesis. Deciduous trees and shrubs require less moisture, but will benefit from some irrigation during periods of little to no rain. Remember, infrequent deep irrigation is better than frequent shallow irrigation. Don't forget to water your container plants as well.

Although many of our plants are in a resting period right now, they aren't totally shut down, and their roots still need moisture to stay hydrated and keep living plant tissue functioning. Without rain, roots can desiccate and die. And the little rain we've had has encouraged the weed seeds to start germinating, which further uses up what little moisture is in the soil. Pulling weeds and mulching around your plants will help to conserve water and keep plants stronger. Organic mulches such as bark or wood chips are best because they add organic matter to the soil as they decompose.

Warmer temperatures sometimes cause shrubs to start putting out leaves early and while there's not much to do about that, be on guard for cold snaps that will freeze tender new growth. Before a freeze, water your plants, as soil moisture and hydrated roots will improve their cold hardiness.

In summary, La Niña has put us back in drought conditions. Unfortunately, we've had a lot of experience with drought here in central California.

For La Niña forecast information, visit the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. For reminders on gardening in a drought, visit the UC California Garden Web. Don't forget to subscribe to our blog so that you receive an email notification when a new post goes up. If you have questions, contact us online, by phone or in person to get answers to your gardening quandaries. 

"But he who dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose." 

                                                                                                                         -- Anne Bronte

 

Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Well, duh! It would still be a rose, even if it was called a nwliduwldkg! But ‘rose' is much easier to say, so we're lucky that way. If you've been dreaming of roses but haven't yet gotten up the nerve to give them a try, this post and our FREE Class on Jan 13th are for you. Sources for more detailed information are found at the end of the post.

As with other types of plants, roses can be temperamental or they can be easy to grow, depending on the variety that you choose. There are two main types of roses, garden roses and landscape roses. Garden roses include hybrid teas, floribundas, glandifloras, and climbers and are grown mostly for their flowers.

• Hybrid tea roses
  • most common roses in home gardens today
  • form a shrub 3-5' tall
  • large, single flowers

• Floribundas
  • form a shrub 2-4' tall
  • small flowers borne in clusters
  • higher bloom production than hybrid teas

• Grandifloras
  • intermediate between hybrid teas and floribundas
  • large flowers with increased bloom production
  • form a shrub 5-8' tall

• climbers
  • flexible stems to 20' long
  • need support on a wall, fence, etc.

Landscape or shrub roses are varieties developed for use as general landscape plants. They offer several advantages over garden roses:

• possess glossy green leaves
• have few thorns
• require little pruning
• require little disease and pest control
• well suited for low maintenance landscapes
• do not require deadheading
• flower throughout the year with greatest bloom in mid-spring and early autumn

Rose cultivation involves multiple factors, many of which are influenced by microclimate. In general, roses require:

• protection from wind
• lots of sun (full sun all day near coast, afternoon shade in hot inland areas)
• space with good air movement to prevent diseases
• well draining soil that still retains water
• light fertilization before each flush of growth
• watering by flooding basin around the plant with 1-2” water or using drip irrigation when the soil is dry to 1”
• avoidance of frequent wetting of leaves to reduce diseases
• when washing leaves to dislodge pests such as spider mites and aphids, do it in the morning so leaves are dry by nightfall

 

 

If you'd like to learn basics of rose care, be sure to sign up for our FREE class "The Basics of Rose Care" on January 13th at 10am here! Information in this post was taken from this Garden Information Series flyer. The UC IPM website has lots of information about pests and disorders of roses here and information about cultural practices and pest control here. For information on abiotic disorders and diseases, go here. And for information on rose insect and mite pests and beneficials, visit this page.

Don't forget to subscribe to our blog so that you receive an email notification when a new post goes up. If you have questions, contact us online, by phone or in person to get answers to your gardening quandaries!