1. For Mother’s Day, it’s always fun to visit your local garden center to see what’s in bloom and buy a few new plants for Mom – guaranteed to warm her heart. Full-size or miniature roses are always a treat. So are brightly colored amaryllis, blue-flowered lilies of the Nile (Agapanthus) and daylilies in a wide array of colors. These and Euryops (yellow daisies), lantana, geranium and statice make good, colorful perennial fillers around standard green plants in sunlit garden spots. Brighten shady areas with fuchsias or hydrangeas – and lots of impatiens.
2. As bottlebrush bushes finish blooming, trim off the old flower clusters just below each spent cluster, but not any farther down the stem. This technique permits several new sprouts to emerge from the remaining stem, and your bush will produce a second flush of flowers later this summer or in autumn. It will also keep your bush full and compact and neat and shapely.
3. The first deciduous fruits start ripening now – peaches, nectarines and apricots. Do not delay picking when these fruits ripen. Our current early hot-spells could quickly shrivel and waste the fruits. Boysenberries are also beginning to show color. For optimal sweetness, let them become nearly black before harvesting. Guard against fruit-hungry birds by covering trees and plants with netting, if need be.
4. Plant tomatoes, if you haven’t already done it. They will start producing in two to three months unless you buy larger plants that already have green tomatoes on them. Indeterminate types, such as Beefsteak, Better Boy, Early Girl and cherry tomatoes, bear through autumn and into winter, while determinate types basically produce all their fruit at about the same time, and then the plants die. Increase yields by adding a layer of organic mulch under the plants. All varieties do better with support, too.
5. Plant subtropical fruits such as bananas, cherimoyas, guavas, mangos, papayas, passion fruit vines, and persimmons this month. Since they require winter temperatures that are above freezing, plant them close to walls, and remember to cover them when temperatures drop. Also, be patient, because they may take several years to bear fruit.
