Coast Landscape

February Landscape Tips

General Notes:

The recent hard freezes that we have experienced throughout Southern California, including the Temecula/Murrieta area, may have caused considerable damage to certain trees, shrubs and groundcover, particularly those that are more suitable to warmer climates. We have seen significant damage on Jacaranda and California Pepper trees, Hibiscus, Calliandra, Cuphea and other warm climate shrubs, as well as Cape Honeysuckle, Myoporum and Japanese Honeysuckle groundcovers. Many lawns that were predominantly warm season grasses have also been damaged. An application of organic mulch (composted woodchips, bark etc) will also help insulate the plant roots to reduce freezing. The added benefit of mulching planter beds is that it reduces erosion from irrigation and rain, conserves soil moisture and reduces weed growth as well as improves the long term organic content of the poor soils in the Temecula/Murrieta home communities.

Irrigation:

We have experienced significant damage to the irrigation systems on communities in the area due to the freezing temperatures would recommend that homeowners test all of the components of their own system to identify the broken lines, valves and sprinkler heads and make any necessary repairs prior to spring. If there is the threat of frost or another hard freeze, it will usually happen on a cold, clear night. Continue to keep plants adequately irrigated for better frost damage resistance as cold weather can quickly dry out plants, particularly if the weather is also windy. If there is any natural rainfall, irrigation should be shut off and not turned back on again until the top inch or so of soil has dried out. After rain is also a good time to pull weeds as the soil is soft and the weeds (roots and all) can be removed more easily.

Lawns:

The damaged lawns should recover in the spring and a complete fertilizer with a N-P-K ratio of 21-4-4 or similar should be applied and watered in to help the lawn green up and recover more rapidly. Lawns should also be kept mowed, at least every two weeks. Even thought the turf growth is relatively slow, cutting lawns back more than 25% with each mowing can result in shock to the grass and cause further damage and slower recovery. It is also important to keep mower blades sharp as dull blades tend to tear the grass rather than cut it, which causes brown die back and encourages diseases.

Shrubs and Groundcover:

The damaged shrubs will need to be cut back hard to remove the dead foliage, and many of these plants should regrow in the spring. Groundcovers, roses, perennials, shrubs, and trees should be fed with slow-release food (bone meal, blood meal, compost, or well-rotted manure) to provide plants with gradual and consistent nutrition throughout the winter season.

Trees:

Finish major pruning of dormant trees, shrubs that will bloom in summer through fall, as well as roses this month, preferably before they've budded out, as pruning while the tree or shrub is dormant causes far less stress on the plant than pruning during the active growing season.

Planting:

Some of the annuals that will be able to better tolerate the cold exposed winter conditions in the Temecula/Murrieta area are Pansies, Phlox, California Poppies, Snapdragons, Stock and some varieties of Primula. Some of the bulbs that can be planted for spring and summer blooms are daffodils, gladiolus, and bearded and Dutch iris. It is also a good time to plant or even transplant some of the woody trees and shrubs such as gardenias, camellias, bareroot roses and deciduous shade trees.

The following is a list of plants that are somewhat rabbit resistant and can be planted in those areas where rabbits have come in from the open spaces and are damaging plant material. Please note that some of these species are still susceptible to damage when first planted until they have become established.

Shrubs:

Glossy Abelia (Abelia grandiflora)

Blue Hibiscus (Alyogyne huegeli)

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)

Boxwood (Buxus species)

Bottlebrush “Little John” (Callistemon “Little John”)

Purple Hopseed Bush (Dodonea viscose “Purpurea”)

Silverberry (Elaeagnus pungens)

Red Escallonia (Escallonia rubra)

Spider Flower (Grevillea “Canberra Gem”)

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia “Hidcote”)

New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium)

Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei)

Sacred Bamboo (Nandina domestica)

Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

Groundcover:

Carmel Creeper (Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis)

St Johns Wort (Hypericum calycinum)

Purple Lantana (Lantana montevidensis)

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Last modified: 02/28/07