Master Gardener: Evergreens, succulents, perennials and garden art brighten a … – Visalia Times

<!–Saxotech Paragraph Count: 0
–>

Nemesia is another fragile-looking flower that scoffs at the frost. It has tiny snapdragon-shape flowers in a wide range of colors. All Nemesia must have afternoon shade in our hot summers. I grow Aromatica True Blue and like its light fragrance. I purchased a 4-inch pot at a coastal nursery as an experiment knowing that Nemesia prefer cool weather. It has expanded to a three foot square area in two years so I think it likes it here.

The most reliable winter color we have is the orange and yellow Calendula. An evergreen herb, it acts as a perennial in our gardens. It blooms profusely during the fall, winter and spring, is stressed in the summer but bounces back again in the fall.

When the plant gets about 2 feet in diameter it usually loses its shape. By then it has reseeded itself many times so we discard the entire plant to make room for the new ones.

Garden art at every turn in the yard adds interest and cheer to an otherwise dreary, foggy day. Garden fairies and gnomes, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other assorted garden statuary blend into the foliage and flowers in the other three seasons but are more noticeable and appreciated when the leaves have fallen and the rose bushes are pruned.

So, if you need gift ideas for the gardener in your life, head to the nursery or garden center and pick up a succulent, an evergreen, or some colorful perennials. And, don’t forget to leave room in the garden for the fairies to dance and the gnomes to roam.

This column appears Thursdays. To contact the Tulare/Kings Master Gardener Program, phone 684-3325, email cetulare@ucdavis.edu, or write to 4437 S. Laspina St., Suite B, Tulare, CA 93274