Five things to do in the garden this week:
Fruit trees. As November comes to a close, persimmon fruit may still be hanging on trees whose foliage presents a spectacular display of fall color, far more stunning than you will see on any other deciduous fruit tree. Persimmon is one of the most sensible fruit trees for Los Angeles gardens, being relatively easy to maintain. Once the tree has established its main branching structure after a few years of growth, pruning is no longer necessary – as long as its mature height of 20 feet is agreeable to you. However, like all fruit trees, a persimmon tree can be kept at a recommended height of eight feet – through regular pruning – to facilitate easy picking. The persimmon tree is also reasonably drought-tolerant and should not require more than a single weekly soaking. Unlike most fruit trees, the preponderance of fruit on a persimmon tree is found at the tips of the current season’s growth although some fruit will also grow on one-year-old wood. Persimmon trees are self-fruitful so you only need one tree to procure a crop. However, it is advisable to plant a pollinator variety such as Gailey as a companion to the popular Fuyu variety to maximize yield on both trees.
Vegetables. Parsnips may be planted now. They are related to carrots but much longer, often reaching a foot or more in length. The taste is mildly spicy with a hint of anise. While in need of full sun, parsnips can grow in dry or moist soil, as long as it drains well and is thus hospitable to elongated root growth. Soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours will increase germination. If you plant their seeds now, make sure you extract the roots that grow from them in the spring; otherwise the parsnips will become woody and inedible.
Herbs. Ornamental oregano is, by far, the most gorgeously floriferous herb of all. There are many varieties, with Kirigami pink and Kent Beauty prominent among them. You can order these plants by mail order from many internet vendors. Their leaves may be used for culinary purposes, although their flavor is much less pungent than that of common oregano. Ornamental oregano is easily propagated by division of the root ball and from stem cuttings that are readily rooted in water.
Ornamentals. I recently received a bouquet that included some gerbera daisies. If there is one flower that everyone loves, it’s gerbera daisy. The problem is that its stems bend so they may have to be stood upright in the vase with the assistance of those thin bamboo plant supports and some horticultural tape. You can also cut gerbera daisy heads and float them in a small bowl of water. Whether in a vase or floating, gerbera daisies should last for a couple of weeks, making sure that the water is changed every few days and flower food is added with each water change. You can make flower food yourself by mixing two tablespoons of white vinegar and two tablespoons of sugar in a quart of warm water.
If you wish to expand the presence of daylilies (Hemerocallis) or lily-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus) in the garden, you can dig up and divide the clumps any time from now until late winter. With daylilies, cut the plants down to a few inches from the ground and then carefully dig around the clump, one foot from the center, so as not to damage the roots in prying the clump from the soil. Make sure each clump contains 3-6 plants for each new clutch of daylilies. With lily-of-the-Nile, this procedure will be the same except you will have to dig deeper under existing clumps to extract the roots in their entirety. Here you will need to disengage rhizomes from one another, making sure new clumps contain 3-6 foliar fans.