Luke Judge

Before you jump into planting in February, check out the publication at ucanr.org/blogs/slomggarden/blogfiles/3250.pdf or stop by the Master Gardeners’ desk on Sierra way in SLO for the pamphlet giving frost dates and other temperature data. The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) prepared the publication for home gardeners and gives frost dates and other temperature information for local areas. The summary provides average dates for the first and last frosts, chill hours, average growing season, lowest record temperatures, and growing degree days for grapes. not all communities are represented on the chart but you can consult it for similar coastal or inland areas. this information will be helpful for developing a planting schedule.

In many areas, you can sow seeds of flowers such as alyssum, yarrow, aster, calendula, coreopsis, cosmos, marigold, rudbeckia and poppies. Vegetable seeds such as beets, carrots, lettuce, and snowpeas can be planted now. in colder areas, start seeds indoors or in a coldframe. Plant spring and summer bulbs such as calla lily, cannas, dahlia, bearded Dutch iris, and gladiolus. Plant bare-root roses, fruit trees, berries and grapes early this month.

Finish pruning dormant trees and shrubs that bloom in summer and fall. Shape fuchsias, and cut back perennial grasses like Calamagrostris. Remove weeds as they spring up.

Lightly fertilize citrus trees. Wait to fertilize fruit trees until there is 4 to 6 inches of new shoot growth. Feed with a balanced fertilizer. Dig in well-composted manure around perennials and cover with mulch. Now, you are ready for your first curtain call of the season.

Got a Gardening Question?

Contact the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners: at 781-5939 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday and Thursday; at 473-7190 from 10 a.m. to noon in Arroyo Grande; and at 434-4105 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Templeton. Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners Web site at groups.ucanr.org/slomg/ or e-mail .

daisies Rudbeckia Bellis california cooperative extension, record temperatures, vegetable seeds

Midsummer and the daisies are in full bloom!

The cicadas sawing in the trees and I am writing this blog before I rush off to the pool. I will be wearing a breezy summery dress from dirty Adored with a sweet short skirt with soft floaty prims. With its pretty cotton floral material and buttoned up and buckled top, this has a country flair, perfect for picking daisies. Her textures are rich and evocative. I am looking forward to seeing more from dirty.

I pair it with this darling hat from Reghan Straaf, one of my girlfriends in Hey Girlfriends and a considerable hat maker in SL. Her textures and shapes are unbeatable, and this daisy hat is sure to charm smiles out of even the flowers. I also wear a little daisy on my finger from my dear friend Callie. It has a huge color change stone in the middle (because Callie’s all about the size) which I have made a diamond. I also wear an older hair from Stumbelina Ophelia that has been begging for attention and suits this ensemble perfectly with daisies near the nape of the neck.

Finally, I wear a fresh young skin from Gala Phoenix. Gala, as I have said before, has been in world since the beginning of my time (my first skin was from Gala) and has wisely kept an eye on changing tastes, making skins to suit her customers’ desires and needs.

Brute force crushes many plants. Yet the plants rise again. The Pyramids will not last a moment compared with the daisy. ~ D.H. Lawrence

Hat: Hatpins – Lady Daisy – White by Reghan Straaf for Hatpins

Hair: Cake – Savanna – Currant – Flexi Hair by Stumbelina Ophelia for Cake

Skin: :GP: Sundust [Dark] June-Grass 2 by Gala Phoenix for Curio

Top: Bottle Bird flowery top by dirty Adored for Bottle Bird

Skirt: Bottle Bird flippy flowery skirt by dirty Adored for Bottle Bird

Daisy ring: the DAISY ROCK by caLLie cLine (yellow) by Callie Cline for caLLie cLine *

Daisies: Hacked hard from Tall Daisy by Troy McLuhan (recolored massively resized and reproportioned)

Shoes: *GF* Wedge Tong Sandal “Sunny” -white- by Cerberus Noel for G Field

daisies Rudbeckia Bellis cicadas, dear friend, full bloom, prims

Image : flickr.com

Wedding flowers can quickly eat away at your wedding budget. A great way to save money is to only use flowers in season at your wedding. Seasonal flowers can usually be grown locally saving you the cost of importing them in from abroad. In addition to your own monetary savings, you will also help to reduce the damage to the environment by fuel used for transporting the flowers, often by airplane, and by the powerful pesticides and preservatives often used on the blooms during storage.

The following paragraphs give ideas for seasonal flowers to use at your wedding.

Winter flowers:

Winter is a fantastic time to get married. Often you will find that a little snow, if you are lucky enough to live somewhere it falls, can make a big difference to a wedding, regardless of which flowers you choose. Popular in season winter flowers include the amaryllis, the anemone, daffodils and narcissus, sweet peas, tulips, and a variety of lilies. Do not forget, no pun intended, the season favorite forget-me-nots, and of course, Christmas holly.

Spring flowers:

Tulips, daffodils, lilacs hyacinths and white narcissus are popular spring flowers as is the peony, which is very popular for weddings. The peony is in season late spring to early summer so you may or may not find it is seasonal, depending on exactly when your spring wedding is. The anemone, boronia, delphinium, sweet pea and Casablanca and stargazer lilies are also in season at this time and all more than suitable for use at your wedding.

Summer flowers:

During summer time it would seem the possibilities for flowers are almost endless. If you are getting married in summer then you are in luck as there is such a wide range of blooms to choose from. Work closely with your florist, as they will be able to consult you on what to choose. Popular summer favorites are the lavender, freesias, chrysanthemums, forget-me-nots, gerbera daisy, hydrangea, iris, a wide range of lilies, stephanotis and sunflowers.

Fall flowers:

With the coming of fall many flowers are out of season. Those still in season include the white and pink aster, the yellow and red marigolds, the red and pink zinnia and a wide and varied color range of both the dahlia