Re: [gardeners] Spring has sprung in Los Angeles!
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 16 Mar 2001 06:59:16 -0800
Hello, again, Penny,
Our artichokes seem to do just fine with no regular watering, once they
die back to the ground at the end of the year, and begin growing,
entirely on their own (well, I MAY have watered once or twice, mainly
for the benefit of the citrus, nearby), slowly, at first, and then very,
very vigorously. They are now about 3-4' tall. One plant has one medium
sized choke, and two smaller ones. The other plants in the two clumps
are further behind.
The artichokes grow and die back all year long, never really needing
very much care, just like any other thistle, only much larger. They
produced 7 or 8 crops throughout the year, last year, each time dying
back and coming forth to multiply, once again.
This time of year, nothing will be hurt for lack of water. The
subsurface is quite moist a few inches down, since we had over 14" of
rain, just in February, alone, more than our entire season's total, to
date...and this in a supposed La Nina year.
During the relentless hot weather, which lasts from July through late
October, we water with drip irrigation about every other day.
We will have to take some pictures of our small yard, which is still
very much a work in progress. We started to remove about 1/6 of our
front lawn, only to have the tiller bog down (literally) in soggy adobe,
leaving the front lawn most unlovely at the moment. But, since it has
rained every weekend for the past month, there is nothing that we can
really do...and our neighbors will be the last to throw stones.
Yesterday we were back in the 60s, but this weekend, we are told, we may
get up into the low 80s. If that is the case, the fruit trees will burst
forth with wild abandon:)
I must say, I go out to our front yard every day and say good morning to
the macadamia, coaxing Mac to show forth his blooms. I will absolutely
have to take photos of the first blossoms. Wouldn't it be fun to
actually have a few nuts this year?
Well, it's off to shave around the edges and get cleaned up for Multiple
Listing caravan of new listings. Have a wonderful day and a marvelously
relaxing weekend.
Ron