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My Garden Diary

January and February 2021

Copyright © 2021 by David E. Ross

Many years ago, when I first started my Web site, I created an online diary of my gardening activities and observations. However, with work and the commute from Hell, I was often so tired I had to choose between maintaining my garden and maintaining my diary. Sometimes, I did neither. In 1998, I stopped my diary and removed the pages from my Web site.

Now I am retired. I am well-rested and have plenty of time to both garden and maintain a diary. This diary is primarily for my own benefit, so that I can look back upon what I did and when. But I thought others might also be interested, so here it is.

Also see What's Blooming in My Garden Now?


January-February 2015
March-April 2015
May-June 2015
July-August 2015
September-October 2015
November-December 2015
January-February 2016
March-April 2016
May-June 2016
July-August 2016
September-October 2016
November-December 2016
January-February 2017
March-April 2017
May-June 2017
July-August 2017
September-October 2017
November-December 2017
January-February 2018
March-April 2018
May-June 2018
July-August 2018
September-October 2018
November-December 2018
January-February 2019
March-April 2019
May-June 2019
July-August 2019
September-October 2019
November-December 2019
January-February 2020
March-April 2020
May-June 2020
July-August 2020
September-October 2020
November-December 2020

Diary entries for 2004 through 2014

Entries below are in reverse order (latest at the top). Daily, I might stoop to pull a weed or use a hose to water some potted plants; however, I don't consider those significant gardening activities. Thus, you will not see daily entries. Also, I might accumulate a few entries before updating this page on the Web.

When plants have well-known common names, their scientific names are given only the first time they appear on this page (entry closest to the bottom). There, the common name is in bold or appears as a link to another Web page.

Unless a different year is given, dates refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear, including entries on prior pages for the same year.

Date and Weather Observations and Activities
21 Feb

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 49-67
Winter chill: 182.8
Humidity: 13%
Wind: 8-26 (gusts to 42)

Rain —
This rain-year: 2.77
Days since last: 20

The relatively warm winter means the Artemisia 'Powis Castle' (A. arborescens × absinthium) in back already has new growth. I pruned two of them as an experiment. Several years ago, I pruned them too early; and they died. That was not a major tragedy since cuttings root very quickly and grow quite fast. If the two I just pruned thrive, I will then prune the rest of them.

Two days ago, my favorite tree service came. No, they did not trim my trees. Instead, they removed dead shrubs at the top of My Hill, trimmed the volunteer coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis) there, and cleaned the cross-slope V-ditch. They also removed the mounds of leaves from my patio and most of the paths. I ask them not to clear leaves from the shrub and flower beds as I need a thick mulch there to keep the soil cool and moist in the summer.

The short path between the lawn and teardrop bed was not cleared of leaves. (It was possibly mistaken for part of the bed.) I cleared it, using most of the leaves to mulch bare spaces in the east bed.

17 Feb

Clear, sunny, and cool

Temp: 46-63
Winter chill: 182.8
Humidity: 28%
Wind: 5-24

Several days ago, moved all the mounds of leaves in front into the green bin for the county's composting program. Today, I started doing the same with the mounds of leaves on the paths in the back. The bin was full when I reached half-way around the lawn. In the meantime, The Tree is already getting new leaves.

Rain —
This rain-year: 2.77
Days since last: 16

13 Feb

Partially overcast, hazy sun, and cold

Temp: 47-60
Winter chill: 182.8
Humidity: 51%
Wind: 1-21

Except for the climbing 'Peace' rose, fed the roses in back with ammonium, iron, and magnesium sulfates. The climbing 'Peace' rose was the last one pruned (22 Jan) and has not yet started getting new leaves. Although, I also pruned the 'Arizona' rose then, it already has new shoots; so it was included in the feeding.

Rain —
This rain-year: 2.77
Days since last: 12

12 Feb

Mostly clear with some scattered clouds, sunny, and cool

Temp: 48-64
Winter chill: 182.8
Humidity: 44%
Wind: 1-13

Sprayed the peach tree, roses in back, the two lower grape vines on My Hill, and the climbing '4th of July' rose in front with a mixture of dormant oil and copper fungicide. The peach tree will get another spraying just as the flower buds start to show red. This is the only preventative spraying I do. Experience showed me that it is necessary.

One other prevention that I will do is apply a systemic insecticide drench to the peach tree to prevent bark borers. This will wait until the tree has finished blooming so that bees will not be affected.


Rain —
This rain-year: 2.77
Days since last: 11

7 Feb

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 56-74
Winter chill: 174.8
Humidity: 21%
Wind: 1-13

Sifted compost. The finished material was powdery, not fibrous. I allowed it to decompose far too long. I had not sifted any compost in over three years (17 Sep 17). I added the finished material to a large trash barrel that still contained the results of prior sifting. Then I placed a trash barrel full of dry leaves on the pile and covered them with partially decomposed material that did not go through the sifter. After sprinkling a small amount of high-nitrogen urea (50-0-0) on top of the pile to promote quicker composting, I watered it well.

Rain —
This rain-year: 2.77
Days since last: 7

30 Jan

Mostly clear with very few scattered clouds, sunny, and cold

Temp: 40-57
Winter chill: 174.8
Humidity: 52%
Wind: 1-12

Finished pruning the peach tree (24 & 26 Jan) and thus all winter pruning.

Rain —
This rain-year: 2.75
The past week: 1.24

26 Jan

Clear, sunny, and cold

Temp: 38-53
Winter chill: 119.6
Humidity: 25%
Wind: 2-18

Pruned two more limbs on the peach tree (24 Jan). I cannot prune the remaining two limbs until Friday, when the trash is collected. The green trash bin for garden waste is now full.

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.90
The past week: 0.44

24 Jan

Mostly clear with some scattered clouds, mostly sunny, and cold

Temp: 41-57
Winter chill: 89.3
Humidity: 58%
Wind: 1-11

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.78
The past week: 0.32

Yes, we got some more rain and more winter chill. However, the rain is still too little. The chill might be too little and too late; as noted (22 Jan), my roses in front are already getting new leaves while some Narcissus in back are already in bloom.

Pruned two major limbs of my peach tree. There are four more major limbs.

The trellis for the star jasmine in back started to slip another anchor (15 Jan). Since this had only just started, the repair was both quick and easy.

22 Jan

Partially cloudy, mostly sunny, and cold

Temp: 48-59
Winter chill: 56.5
Humidity: 49%
Wind: 5-17

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
Days since last: 29

Because of the lack of winter chill, the roses in front already have shoots growing and a few leaves. I fed them with my usual first feeding of spring, although spring is two months in the future. I gave them ammonium, iron, and magnesium sulfates. Since several had only two good canes to keep when I pruned them (1 Jan), I gave all of them extra magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). The magnesium promotes new shoots.

However, we did get some more winter chill, more than doubling the number of hours since the beginning of last November. This does not appear in the temperature data to the left, where the low reflects what happened during the night that begins the day. This day's winter chill all occurred at the end of the day.

Gave the liquidambar tree (L. styraciflua) in front a generous amount of iron sulfate in an attempt to prevent the chlorosis that often afflicts that tree.

Pruned the 'Arizona' grandiflora rose and finished pruning the climbing 'Peace' rose, both in back. Now, I only have the peach tree to prune until spring. In the spring, a major task will be to prune the pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana); but other subtropicals will need pruning, too.

17 Jan

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 69-82
=> Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 9%
Wind: 2-15

Rain —
=> This rain-year: 1.46
Days since last: 22

I am very concerned about our weather this winter. By this time last year, we had 6.5 inches of rain and 170 hours of winter chill. The lack of rain this winter will mean a horrendous water bill. The lack of winter chill might mean no peaches on a weakened tree and a failure of my spring bulbs to bloom.

Finished pruning the climbing '4th of July' rose in front and pruned the right side of the climbing 'Peace' rose in back.

Yes, the mounds of leaves in front and back are now even larger. Finally, however, The Tree in back and the valley white oak (Quercus lobata) in front are almost leafless.

15 Jan

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 72-83
Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 9%
Wind: 11-36 (gusts to 54)

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
Days since last: 20

The wind started last night. There was a gust of 59 miles per hour just before midnight. The wind was strong enough to make the trellis for the star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) in the west bed in back slip one of its anchors. Fortunately, nothing was really broken; so I was able to repair the trellis without damanging the star jasmine.

Started pruning the climbing '4th of July' rose in front. However, the wind whipped the long canes, making it risky to finish.

10 Jan

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 54-71
Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 16%
Wind: 2-16

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
Days since last: 15

Today, the mound of leaves on the west edge of the driveway (27 Dec 20) became larger. Tomarrow, the mounds of leaves in back will also grow.

Pruned the climbing 'Don Juan' rose and three of the shrub roses in back. I left the 'Arizona' rose for a later day because it is now in bloom. However, I did prune the 'Iceberg' rose despite its bloom because it was unlikely it would stop blooming.

Cut down the potted spoon-flowered chrysanthemum (C. morifolium) on the patio. Except for one very low flower, it finished blooming.

6 Jan

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 59-74
Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 12%
Wind: 1-15

Pruned the 'Flame' grape vine at the top of My Hill. That takes care of all my grape vines. I still have the climbing '4th of July' rose in front, six roses in back, and the peach tree (Prunus persica 'Santa Barbara') to prune.

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
Days since last: 11

3 Jan

Thin clouds and overcast, hazy sun, cool

Temp: 45-61
Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 57%
Wind: 0-11

Pruned the 'Perlette' grape vine near the bottom of the west side of My Hill.

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
The past week: 0.44

1 Jan

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 51-62
Winter chill: 22.5
Humidity: 20%
Wind: 1-22

Rain —
This rain-year: 1.46
The past week: 1.40

Yes, we had real rain, enough that I discovered a leak in our 34-year-old roof.

This past week, the mounds of leaves in front and back grew even larger (27 Dec 20).

Following my tradition, spent New Year day pruning roses in front. I skipped pruning 'Violet's Pride' because it is so new that it is still very small and the climbing '4th of July' because that can take an entire day. All the other roses in front are now pruned.

Weather data are from the Cheeseboro (CHE) weather station, about 2 miles ENE of my house.

The high temperature (°F) is daytime for the indicated date; the low temperature (°F) is for the previous night.

Winter chill is the cumulative hours of temperatures at or below 45°F from 1 November through 31 March. It is reported during that period and through April.

The relative humidity is at noon. (In my garden, it is likely higher than reported, a result of regular irrigation.)

Wind speeds (mph) are average (not peak) low and high, midnight to midnight (subject to later correction for diary entries posted before the end of the day). I also indicate peak wind gusts parenthetically when they are significantly high.

Rain is in inches. Rain-year is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year (our "rain-year"). Week is the cumulative amount of measurable rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no measurable rain fell in that period, Days since last is reported.

Characterization of the weather (e.g., Clear, sunny, and warm) is purely subjective; for example, "warm" might occur with higher temperatures than "hot" if the former occurs with lower humidity and more breezes than the latter. Also, a day that would normally be characterized as "mild" might instead be "warm" if the immediately previous days were quite cold. Finally, such characterization reflects when I was actually outside and gardening and ignores changes that occur while I am inside.

The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:

Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
See also My Climate.
November-December 2020
September-October 2020
July-August 2020
May-June 2020
March-April 2020
January-February 2020
November-December 2019
September-October 2019
July-August 2019
May-June 2019
March-April 2019
January-February 2019
November-December 2018
September-October 2018
July-August 2018
May-June 2018
March-April 2018
January-February 2018
November-December 2017
September-October 2017
July-August 2017
May-June 2017
March-April 2017
January-February 2017
November-December 2016
September-October 2016
July-August 2016
May-June 2016
March-April 2016
January-February 2016
November-December 2015
September-October 2015
July-August 2015
May-June 2015
March-April 2015
January-February 2015

Diary entries for 2004 through 2014


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