By Yvonne Rasmussen, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
What flowers in the dead of winter in Napa County? With few pollinators active then, it's not a great time to have flowers that need pollination. Also, the weather is dicey. It could be cold or icy or raining and blowing. But surprisingly, many plants do bloom between late fall and very early spring. So with a little planning. you can have flowers in your winter garden and fresh-cut flowers to bring indoors.
Camellias, cyclamen, primroses and pansies are all blooming in nurseries now. But don't be fooled. Some of these plants have been forced into bloom using light or greenhouse conditions. They may not repeat that winter performance once naturalized in your garden.
The camellia shrub's glossy evergreen leaves provide a wonderful contrast to its flowers, which bloom in various shades of pink, red and white. The flowers come in many color patterns and bloom times and the shrubs take a variety of shapes. According to the American Camellia Society, there are more than 4000 cultivars. You can search the society's website for a camellia that suits you, basing your search on up to 14 plant characteristics.
To find other hardy winter-blooming shrubs with low water needs, I turned to the UC Davis Arboretum All Star listing and the Sacramento Master Gardener's website. The Arboretum All Star plants have been grown and evaluated at the UC Davis Arboretum and are designated as All Stars based on their ease of care and low water needs. Many are California natives but others are from locations around the world that have similar climates and seasonal drought.
Plants from areas that have a Mediterranean-type climate like ours, such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, often do well here. When choosing plants from these lists, pay attention to the specific cultivar or variety. The variety may have been developed for specific conditions, such as low water availability, low light or heavy soil. Or it may have other characteristics that distinguish it from the norm, such as smaller size or early bloom time.
Among the California native shrubs that bloom in winter, consider manzanita. It produces its small pink urn-shaped flowers in late winter through early spring. Bees love them. Mahonia is another possibility. It offers large sprays of small aromatic yellow flowers from fall through early winter. Witch hazel blooms from October through March and can tolerate temperatures in the single digits.
For low-growing plants in shade, consider hellebore, also known as Lenten rose, or Algerian iris (Iris ungulicuarus). Both bloom from late fall through early spring. Algerian iris make wonderful cut flowers for bringing indoors.
For bedding plants, you could choose primroses, which bloom in many colors. Make sure they are English primroses if you want winter bloom.
Cyclamen is another great bedding plant that flowers in many shades of pink, red and white. The plant themselves come in various sizes with leaves that may be variegated, rufflee or plain. If you're looking for annuals, viola and pansies bloom all winter in a variety of colors.
Last but not least, there are many bulbs, corms and rhizomes that will bloom from winter through spring and into summer. Many of these can naturalize given some summer shade under deciduous trees or shrubs. They provide a surprise in the garden each winter and spring when they reappear after being dormant all summer. Bright blue-purple crocus, white narcissus and yellow daffodils can create swaths of color over long periods if you plan well.
Winter does not have to be a dull, dreary, colorless time in the garden. Many easy-care plants can bring you flowers even in the dead of winter.
Library Talk: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a free talk via Zoom on Thursday, January 6, from 7 pm to 8 pm, on “Introduction to Espalier.” The espalier technique is a great way to grow fruit in limited space and makes care and harvesting easier. Learn how to plan, plant and maintain an espaliered fruit tree in your landscape. Register at http://ucanr.edu/2022JanEspalier.
Got Garden Questions? Contact our Help Desk. The team is working remotely so please submit your questions through our diagnosis form, sending any photos to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org or leave a detailed message at 707- 253-4143. A Master Gardener will get back to you by phone or email.
For more information visit http://napamg.ucanr.edu or find us on Facebook or Instagram, UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
Advice for the Home Gardener
From the UC Master Gardener Program
Help Desk of Contra Costa County
The leaning bush has been propped up and the soil tamped down, but I'm concerned about the long term health of these bushes. Can you offer any advice for the eaten roots and over-all care of these bushes? I prefer organic methods, where possible.
Thank you in advance for any assistance you may have available.
Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk about the damage to your camellia bush.
Camellias are beautiful evergreen broad-leaved shrubs with fibrous shallow root systems that lie close to the surface of the soil, so immediately identifying and excluding any burrowing pest is critical! Unfortunately, I can't locate any specific information on vertebrate pests that prefer camellias, so you'll need to investigate the potential of a few of our common burrowing and root damaging vertebrate pests. The common pests in our area are ground squirrels, moles, pocket gophers or voles.
- The best way to determine what type of pest you have is by the damage you see:
Ground Squirrels: The key identifier for these rodents is an exposed tunnel entrance with discarded dirt surrounding the entrance of the tunnel. You can see right into a ground squirrel burrow, unlike that of moles or pocket gophers.
Moles: If you have a mole, you will see mounds of dirt and/or surface tunnels. Dirt mounds (look like piles or "puffs" of dirt shaped like a volcano) and surface tunnels (look like the veins on the back of your hand). Not all moles will have both surface tunnels and dirt mounds. If you see one or the other (or both), you have a mole.
Pocket Gophers: Damage done by pocket gophers is similar to moles, but there is a major difference. Dirt mounds are crescent-shaped (like a "C") with a "dirt plug" on one side of the mound.
Voles: Voles typically “piggy back” on the damage done by moles and tend to travel in mole tunnels and often are the cause of damage to roots, bulbs, and tubers within.
Here is a link that includes a good photo of the various types of soil disruption from these pests: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21028
UC IPM Pest Notes provide specific guidance on identification of these garden pests as well as suggested management strategies to control pests. Here are links to the Pest Notes for the pests listed above that will help you identify the damage they cause and how best to control them:
Ground Squirrels: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7438.html
Moles: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74115.html
Pocket Gophers: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7433.html
Voles: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7439.html
Once the pest is identified and controlled, we suggest that you may want to replant the leaning shrub that has suffered the most root damage. This is a good time to do it as camellias are generally planted in the late fall through the early spring. There is no guarantee that the plant will survive as it will depend on how serious the damage is. If a small portion of the root system is damaged, there is a greater likelihood the plant will survive.
Here are recommended steps to replant camellias from the American Camellia Society:
Dig a hole that is 1 to 2 inches shorter than the length of the root ball, but make the hole 2 feet wider than the width of the camellia bush. This allows adequate space for the roots to branch out but keeps the top of the root ball above the rim of the hole. Gently loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole with a garden claw or hoe.
Place the camellia bush on top of the soil in the hole; the top of the root ball should protrude out of the hole slightly. Backfill with the enriched soil until the root ball is completely covered. Mound the soil over the top of the root ball and press down gently but firmly to stabilize the plant.
- Create a circular ridge or berm of dirt two to three feet away from the bush; press down firmly so the dirt will not easily wash away. This ridge will help contain water.
- Water the soil thoroughly but do not leave the camellia bush standing in water. Keep it watered regularly until the roots are established and the plant shows signs of growth, then soak the plant once a week to encourage deeper root growth, as camellias roots stay toward the surface.
- Mulch around the camellia bush to retain moisture and even out the soil temperature. Mulch also suppresses weeds.
Here are several additional links for information on camellias pests and culture:
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/camellia.html
https://ucanr.edu/sites/urbanhort/files/80153.pdf
I hope you've found this information helpful. Good luck with your camellias and please let us know if you have further questions.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SLH)
Notes: Contra Costa MG's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/. MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Biog.
- Author: Gerry L Hernandez
February in the garden:
In the Garden
- Around Valentine's Day apply dormant copper spray to peach and nectarine trees no later than bud swell.
- Fertilize mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.
- Be sure to remove and discard (do not compost) fallen camellia blossoms to reduce petal blight.
- Fertilize spring blooming and fall-planted perennials.
- Mulch 3 inches deep around plants (without touching stems) to conserve soil moisture.
- Plant in vegetable garden by direct seeding: radishes, beets, chard, and peas.
- Start tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds indoors.
- Flowers to transplant or direct seed: snapdragon, candytuft, larkspur, coral bells, and stock.
- Plant bulbs for summer bloom: dahlias, begonias, gladiolus, lilies, etc.
- Plant potaotes
Pruning:
- Finish pruning roses.
- Prune summer blooming shrubs now.
Pest and Disease Control
- Watch for aphids on spring blooming bulbs; remove with a strong spray of water.
- As the weather warms prepare to battle slugs and snails with traps or pet-friendly baits.