Q. When a tree is deciduous, how long will the leaves be off?
A. It depends on how low the temperature falls and the length of time it stays there. When the temperature drops to a certain level and stays there for an allotted time, a tree will lose its leaves. Again, when the temperature rises and remains there for a long enough time, the leaves will grow back. Temperature and duration specifications vary with the individual tree species.
Q. How do I take care of my bougainvillea?
A. Available in almost every color, bougainvilleas are favorite additions to gardens that don't suffer too much cold. Make sure you have well-drained soil. The roots are very frost sensitive, so they can't sit in too much water. Vining bougainvilleas grow fast but have no way to attach themselves to a trellis or wall, so they must be tied. Support the stems also until they become established. In colder climates, move them indoors or to the sunniest part of the garden, preferably up against a wall.
Q. When is the best time to plant cannas?
A. Cannas are another colorful addition to gardens. Not only are the blooms showy, but the foliage is brilliant as well. It's best to plant cannas in the spring when the frost is over. For colder climates where frost lingers, start them indoors a month before the last frost is expected, then move them outside. Cut them to the ground after they bloom, and new stems will grow until summer is over. As an added bonus, use the colorful foliage in arrangements.
Q. I have a relatively small area in which to make a good impression with plants. I want a palm. What's a good choice?
A. Choose the Guadalupe Palm, or Brahea Edulis. This small, Mexican fan palm is from Guadalupe Island off Baja California, and is very slow growing, taking up to 50 years to reach its mature height of maybe 25 feet. The 3-foot wide leaves are light green, and it features creamy flowers. Old leaves drop, leaving a naked, elephant-hide stout trunk ringed with scars. Another benefit of choosing this palm is that it's self-cleaning and does not have a skirt of persistent dead leaves. It flowers from February to March, with egg-shaped edible black fruits, one inch in size, forming in summer.
Q. I'd like a nice tree with pretty flowers that doesn't grow too tall, can survive a good freeze, and is also drought resistant. Any suggestions?
A. You're in luck. Chitalpa tashkentensis combines the larger flowers of its Catalpa bignonioides parent with the desert toughness and flower color of Chilopsis linearis, its other parent. A deciduous tree, it is also drought-resistant, a trait inherited from the desert willow, and it is fairly hardy, having withstood temperatures as low as 9◦F. It is a rapidly growing tree, reaching from 25-30 feet at maturity. Among its best features are the abundant clusters of showy flowers, with each cluster containing 15-40 flowers. Chitalpa is also sterile and produces no messy seed pods. For pink blooms choose 'Pink Dawn,' for white flowers choose 'Morning Cloud.'
This feature is provided by Miramar Wholesale Nurseries, Southern California’s leading supplier of landscape plant material and supplies. MWN grows a wide variety of perennials, shrubs and distinctive trees at each of its three locations to supply landscape professionals and nurseries in the region and around the country with high-quality plant materials. MWN is a member of TruGreen LandCare, a ServiceMaster company.