Plant Now for Easy Spring Color 
  
by Tami Reece  Master Gardener 
  
I love seasons! I look forward to the spectacular fall colors and the crisp winter mornings with frost blanketing our landscape. But I will be the first to admit I need to see the kaleidoscope of colors my spring bulbs bring each year! After months of rain, I want to see the bright green leaves poking through the soil. It is still not too late to plant for spring color but you will want to plant now as they will need a certain amount of chill hours to bloom in the spring. Most bulbs need 12-14 weeks of chilling temperatures, below 45 degrees, to break dormancy to bloom. If you live on the coast, you may even need to place your bulbs in your refrigerator drawer, separate from fruit, to obtain the required chill hours. The important thing is to get your bulbs in the soil as soon as possible. Storing bulbs out of the soil all winter will cause them to wither and die. You can even plant bulbs in containers with potting soil, just make sure to plant away from the edge of the pots, where they will freeze. When you buy your bulbs, there will be planting instructions on the packaging. However, a basic rule of thumb is to dig a hole 2 to 3 times the bulbs width and a depth of about 4 to 6 inches for hyacinths and tulips; about 6 to 8 inches for daffodils. Set the bulb root end down and fill in with soil. If you have a problem with gophers, you may consider planting in gopher cages or in containers above grounds.  If you do plant in containers, make sure you water occasionally so the bulbs do not dry out. There are no deer proof flowers or rodent proof bulbs. Although daffodils have been known to be deer resistant, if a deer is hungry enough, all your hard work will become their lunch. So take a few moments this holiday season to relax and enjoy your garden. Your efforts will be rewarded with beautiful spring color. 

What should I do in the garden during December?

Alana G., Los Osos

By Andrea Peck  Master Gardener

Ah, December. Where has the time gone?  It goes where it’s always gone, of course, but the garden, timeless, waits with a throng of edifying chores to be done. Time’s trajectory is best contemplated while working anyway.

Bundle up and take a garden walk. The framework of your garden reveals itself during this time of year. Consider the entire outdoors when preparing for winter. Clean gutters, downspouts and swales. Replenish mulch where needed and adjust watering systems to cut down on unnecessary water use. Move sensitive container plants to a protected location or indoors when frost threatens. Drape a sheet or burlap over a frame to protect in-ground plants.

Prepare vegetable beds for spring by layering on a thick sheet of mulch and fertilizer. Clear out annuals past their prime and tidy thoroughly before weeds latch on and pests find a home in the fallows.

Prune deciduous fruit and non-fruit trees now.  Leave strong, healthy branches and trim off weak, diseased or dead branches. Branches that cross or appear crowded obstruct growth; don’t hesitate to create a strong shape.  Branches that may be hazardous in high winds should be lopped. Trimming and shaping grapes after leaves fall increases growth and production.

Early selections of bare root roses are now available for planting. Coastal gardeners can plant cool season flowers such as ageratum, calendula, larkspur, lavatera, phlox and spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinth and crocus. Make sure bulbs have been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 6 weeks, however.

This is the time to plant artichokes, rhubarb and other bare root vegetables. Ample mulching, 8”-12” discourages weeds and frost damage.

Still harvesting? Remove brussel sprouts from the bottom first. Cut broccoli heads and allow further growth from side shoots.

Your tools will appreciate a solid cleaning and oiling and you’ll be pleased later if you organize garden paraphernalia.  Finally, breathe in that fresh winter air and enjoy the holidays!

Spring Bulbs-It’s Fun to Fool Mother Nature

By Lee Oliphant Master Gardener

There may be a time in the upcoming winter that you yearn 
for spring fragrances and color before their time. Getting 
spring bulbs to flower indoors in the winter is called 
“forcing”. It’s fun to “fool Mother Nature” and potted 
spring bulbs make great gifts for the upcoming holidays.
Normally a spring bulb is dormant in the winter. Shoot 
growth begins in the spring when temperatures rise. 
Flowering follows. In order to force a bloom you must mimic
its natural pattern and expose it to cold (chill). Bulb 
varieties differ in their “chill” or dormancy requirements. 
A chill temperature is considered to be around 40º but 
length of time varies in plant varieties. Bulbs can be 
chilled in a bag in a refrigerator before planting or can 
be chilled in the pots you wish to grow them in. Place 
planted pots in a cool garage or cellar, or dig a trench in 
a shady area of your garden and cover with dried leaves, 
straw, or spaghnum moss. Dig up when ready to place in
light and “force” the bloom.

Some bulbs are more easily forced to bloom than others. 
Both paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis need no “chill 
time”. Other spring bulbs need more chill time. The elegant 
hyacinth can be forced in “hyacinth vases” using only 
water. They need 10–14 weeks of chill time then 2-3 more 
weeks to bloom. Small flowers such as the Muscari (grape 
hyacinth) and snowdrop can be clustered in pots. They need 
13–16 weeks of chill. Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) 
need 15 weeks of chill as do some varieties of tulip. 
Once bulbs have completed their chill cycle, they are 
exposed to low light until their leaves turn green. 

Finally, they can be placed in a sunny window where they 
“go into action”. If you are thinking of giving potted 
bulbs as holiday gifts, get them started now. Enclose a 
handwritten card with instructions on how the receiver can 
finish the process to enjoy spring blooms in the upcoming 
months.

Bill  Tietje is the Natural Resource Specialist with the UCCE and his specialty is Oak woodland ecology and management, human impacts on wildlife, oak regeneration, and land use planning.  Below he provides his expertise in the gathering and planting of acorns.

Here are directions for gathering, storing, and planting acorns. Acorns of blue oak, coast live oak, and valley oak are moderately abundant this year. Why not gather some now for planting early next year. It is getting a bit late for gathering acorns of blue oak, so a trip to your favorite trees should not be delayed. Acorns of valley oak and coast live oak mature a bit later than those of blue oak. 

The pdf is a bit long. In a nutshell:

• Gather the acorns ASAP, preferably directly from the tree. Acorns on the ground tend to be dry and infested with insect larvae.
• Store the acorns in a heavy plastic bag in the refrigerator (not in the freezer).
• After rainfall has moistened the ground (late December, January, February), plant the acorns and protect the planting site below and above ground (see the attached directions).

It's probably better to plant and protect one to several trees that you can give good care, rather than to plant many and then find that you don't have time to take proper care of them. 

Enjoy, it will be good fun to watch your trees grow.

Click the link below to obtain the detailed instructions for gathering and planting.