June 2022 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Winter has arrived with a blast of cold and rain.
However it is the season when a lot of Australian native plants come into bloom after the harshness of the summer.
This is a Hybrid Hakea called 'Burrendong Beauty' raised in NSW from two Western Australian species (H. petiolaris x H. myrtoides)
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi

As I evaluate the wide range of ornamental plant species you grow and post on the Forum, it would be helpful for me to review the climatic conditions in which you garden. The gardening climate here at our Sacramento, California home is very Mediterranean. Summers are extremely hot and dry; the winters are cool and rainy (hopefully). For example, we can grow and fruit Citrus and Avocados, yet there are still enough chilling hours during the winter so Peaches and Apples blossom, set, and produce fruit consistently. A wide range of ornamental species grows well here, but unfortunately not many “alpines” or maybe even plants that are considered “rock garden” species.

Thank you for posting so much. I hope that it is okay to ask questions from time to time. There are so many ornamental plant species, many of which I know nothing or very little. Books can be helpful, however the details from an experienced gardener are invaluable.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Robert,
our climate here is considered "almost" Mediterranean because we get the hot dry summers and wet autumn/winters but the temperature drops to -7^oC in winter so Avocadoes aren't possible and citrus can be dicey. The chilling in winter is sufficient for most stone and pome fruit.
In a cool summer some high mountain plants can survive but they don't thrive, though 25 km to the south I have a friend who regularly flowers Gentiana acaulis in her rock garden. It lasted about 15 minutes here!
I think the extreme summer dry is probably the main reason many woodlanders don't do well here - even with supplementary watering they frizzle up.
Many Australian plants from the southern regions do well here but we'd have to be closer to the tropics to grow many of the really colourful and fruitful types such as some of the larger grevilleas but I'm happy with the ones we can grow.
Most bulbs thrive - some a little too well!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Correa 'Barossa Gold' is mostly grown for its gold tinted foliage but in winter it also flowers
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

Your climatic description worked perfectly for me! Your elaboration of the performance of ornamental species was interesting but not surprising. Generally, I have had the same results here in hot, interior Northern California. These days I have been experimenting with mountainous Meso-American species. Generally heat is not an issue, but tolerance to cold can be problematic. California still has the potential to be a horticultural paradise, however I need to think in terms of plants that are well adapted to our climatic conditions. I enjoy the experimentation and trials involved with finding plants that will thrive in our California garden. The plants that you post on the Forum definitely stimulate my interest and imagination on the possibilities here in interior California. There is a long horticultural history in California that I hope can continue into the future.

We have a wide range of Correa species and varieties available here in California. I have grown many in the past and some are quite nice and well worth cultivation in the correct setting.