THE ONION FIELD

Plant Selection is one of my ultimate favorite ways to spend the day, this is especially true when I am shopping for clients who I feel a part of, and know that I will be adding to the landscape of their dreams. On a particularly beautiful spring day in the Santa Clarita Valley, I headed out en route to Fillmore, a beautiful little town north west of my home that has been featured in Big Love... "The Compound" is filmed there.

My destination however, was not The Compound but a wonderful nursery named Otto & Sons that specializes in a plethora of roses among other ornamentals and fruit trees. As usual I was not disappointed. The roses that I ordered were waiting and the coral Drift Roses were in full flush. My client would be pleased with our selection. After a lovely chat about growing vegetables with Mike, I headed back to my car to resume my journey on to the next nursery.

The winding roads of Fillmore pass by citrus and avocado groves as well as a large variety of vegetables. Usually I admire the citrus and glance at the vegetables trying to figure out what they are as I speed by. This is a journey I often take, so sometimes I don't really notice what I am passing, sometimes I even waste my time by talking on the phone.

As I chatted away, I was scanning the horizon and suddenly up loomed the most amazing sight, a sight that I'd never noticed before. As far as the eye could see were a sea of nodding cotton balls and behind them statuesque hills. I quickly (and hopefully not too rudely) hung up the phone and immediately pulled over to the side of the road. Getting out of the car I realized that I was standing in front of a huge onion field and I was mesmerized.

Silently thanking my husband and kids, for buying me an iPhone last year. I snapped photos of this wonderful scene. Being thoroughly entranced I did not notice the hundreds of bees alighting all around me, however I had no reason to fear for they were as captured by the onion flowers as I had been. I breathed the deep clean (yes clean) smell of spring before I headed back to my car and continued my journey. This time of the year is truly magical in this little part of the world.

How to Care for Day Lily Plants

Well-established Day lily clumps can produce as many as 400 flowers in a single season. Day lily plants can produce blooms for 30–40 days between early and late summer. By using repeat bloomers and by planting several different cultivars you can have beautiful color spring through summer. There are literally hundreds of different types of day lilies in many colors and shades, some of them even fragrant.

Things You'll Need
Shovel or Fork
Gardening Gloves
Garden Shears

For the best quality flowers, day lilies plants should be grown in full sun, There are however some varieties that will do well in light to medium shade. Consult your landscape professional to find the varieties that are right for your situation.



Day lilies require regular garden water and should fertilized on a regular basis. It is best not to plant them too close to trees and shrubs that will compete with them for nutrients and water. Although Day lilies can tolerate drought, they perform best when they receive a deep watering of an inch of water or more each week. More frequent watering may be necessary if they are planted in sandy soils.

Day lilies grow best in slightly acidic, well-drained soil, which has a high organic content. A ph of 6 to 6.5 might works well. Make sure to amend the soil with lots of rich organic matter and your plants will flourish.

In spring an application compost or a good complete fertilizer is just what the plant doctor ordered. To help the plants through the colder winter months a low nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the late summer or early fall.

Grooming your Day lily plants will keep them looking good all season (year round in the warm weather areas). Remove the seed capsules after the bloom has faded. This step will prevent seed production. Seed production can weaken your plant and will decrease the number of blooms next year.

Day lily plants should be divided every three to four years. The best time to transplant or divide plants is in early spring or they can be divided right after they finish flowering. In warm weather zones they can also be divided in the fall.

Using a garden fork or shovel dig the entire plant up and rinse off the excess soil.
Gently pull the leaf fans apart by working the roots apart with you hands. If the going gets tough use a tool.

Note: Newly divided plants may not flower the first summer.

Work the roots apart, and if necessary, use a tool. Trim long roots and foliage on divided fans to about 6 inches. Make sure each division has at least three (3) fans. Replant your day lilies and get ready to enjoy the extra color.

Tips & and Warnings:

Cutting the clump with a shovel can damage the crown.
Day Lily plants are poisonous to cats.

For more information see my website www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net

How to Choose Mulch

Decide to mulch. Here are a few reasons that you might want to mulch:

Mulch holds in soil moisture
Mulch prevents soil temperature fluctuation
Mulch protects plant roots from cold
Mulch protects plant roots from heat
Mulch prevents weeds from germinating and growing
Mulch can add nutrition to your soil

Mulch protects the temperature of the soil, so plants can set fruit. Learn about - Wood bark or chips - this mulch looks neat and attractive, stays where you put it and decays fairly slowly. They add nutrition to the soil but don't make too thick a layer, 2-3" is good or you create an area that bark damaging insects can hide.



Mulch = Large fruits... Learn about - Decaying leaves - this mulch keeps the weeds down and hold the moisture in well and... they are usually free. They are not particularly attractive though.

Mulch = Beautiful Flowers Learn about - Compost - this mulch adds nutrients to your soil as it breaks down. If you have your own compost bin it can be free and plentiful. However if it contains manure or grass clippings it can burn your plants.

Learn about - Pebbles or gravel - this mulch has a nice neat look and it's very easy to install. It won't wash or blow away easily and will last a long time. It does not provide any nutrition to the soil and if mixed in with the soil can be very difficult to remove. If you ever want to take it out to re-design, it can be a big pain!



Learn about - Grass clippings - this mulch is cheap and easy to get a hold of if you have a lawn. Since grass decays quickly you will have to replenish your mulch often. Only apply an inch or so at a time or it can become slimy when watered. You might be adding grass seed to your planter beds if the lawn has gone to seed.



Avoid Coco Mulch... it can harm animals Choose your mulch. There really isn't a right or wrong type of mulch. You have to weigh all the pros and cons of the mulch and think about your garden, the plants in your garden, and even your lifestyle. It would be good to experiment with different kinds of mulch, you may find that a certain type of mulch is better for one area than another, or one time of year or another. The most important thing is that you spend quality time outdoors enjoying your garden, so think of it all as a fun experiment and go with the flow!