California Gardeners' January Checklist

With cheer-bringing blossoms on bare stems in deepest winter, flowering quince is an ancient Chinese symbol of an auspicious New Year. Equally cheering: California's early performers — bold camellias, pink clouds of purple-leaf plum, pure white evergreen pear, spiky red aloes on Santa Barbara and Orange County coasts. Best sight: Northern California's already-green hills, suggesting decent water and signaling it's time to plant and prune again.

Brighten Garden or Home

Flowering quince blooms first yearly — prized because bare, bud-loaded stems open freely indoors. Many varieties, old and new, single/double flowers in white, pink, orange, red. Old-time red survives with little care. 'Pink Storm' (shown) is a new double bright pink variety.

• Botanical name: Chaenomeles speciosa 'Pink Storm'
• USDA zones: 5–8
• Water: Moderate
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Mature size: 4+ ft tall/wide
• Growing tips: Prune after bloom or during budding/blooming to control size/shape. For indoor blooms, cut budding stems, place near sunny window.

The Tools of Winter

Few projects satisfy like pruning leafless trees/shrubs on a brisk, sunny January day. Essential: a pruning saw. Good ones outlast garden trees; uses all year. Don't use carpenter's saws — bad for tool, tree, and person. Pruning saws have coarser teeth for moist, sappy wood; often curved; cut on pull stroke. Folding models for small limbs; full-size ($50+) for 1–2 inch branches; chainsaw for larger.

Hot New Plants

Like business writers picking hot stocks, garden writers tout hot new plants — usually roses/annuals. I prefer plants I've actually seen and would grow. At the 2012 ASLA conference in Phoenix, these caught my eye:

Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas 'Winter Bee') — early bloom, deep purple flowers last long. Nice in borders or massed on slopes. Zones 7–10, moderate water (more in heat), full sun, 2 ft tall/wide. Shear for formal look; seeds heavily, can spread unwanted.

'Brakelights' Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parvifolia 'Brakelights'/'Perpa') — compact, spiky, vibrant. Mass or container. Zones 5–10, light water (drought-tolerant; regular first season), full sun, 2 ft tall/wide. Needs fast drainage.

'Limelight' hardy hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight') — big shrub, larger than typical. Prized for chartreuse flowers in big clusters. Zones 3–8, moderate water (more in heat), partial shade, 8 ft tall/wide. Prune dormant season to control size.

Bark as Art

Leafless trees, low sun reveal less flashy beauty — tree bark. Crape myrtle's mottled, sometimes gleaming winter bark is pretty in its own right. Seek California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) and Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus asplenifolius). Even Eucalyptus globulus has beautiful bark — just don't plant it for the view.

Designing or Redesigning a Garden?

Many design books come from England — irrelevant unless you have sheep on your front meadow. California-focused recommendations:

• Designing California Native Gardens, Glenn Keator & Alrie Middlebrook — deep look at natives artfully/practically.
• Big Book of Garden Designs, Marianne Lipanovich & Tom Wilhite — 120 practical plans for diverse landscapes.
• Sunset Western Landscaping, ed. Kathleen Brenzel — companion to Western Garden Book, hundreds of photos, plant selection/design details.
• Growing California Native Plants (2nd ed.), Marjorie G. Schmidt & Katherine L. Greenberg — indispensable for growing natives successfully.

What Else to Do in January

Weather permitting: midwinter pruning, cleanup, planting.

• Camellias: Cut early blooms ('Guilio Nuccio') for indoors; cut above new leaf buds for bushiness; pick up fallen blossoms to stop petal blight.
• Living Christmas trees: Move outside; ensure root ball not dried out; soak if needed. Don't plant if soil soggy.
• Gift plants: Sunny window spot.
• Cool-season annuals: Calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies, snapdragons, stock, violas — sunny beds/containers.
• Vegetable seeds indoors: Ready in 6–8 weeks. Easy: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower.
• Summer bulbs: Begonias, cannas, tigridias — especially Southern California.
• Roses: Optimum pruning time. Cut back ~1/3, leave 3–5 canes from base. Varies by type.
• Bare-root plants: If soil dry enough, plant fruit trees, berries, shade trees, roses. Get nursery advice on root pruning/care.
• Deciduous fruit/shade trees: Prune when dormant/leafless. Sharp shears. Wait until spring-flowering shrubs/trees (lilacs) finish blooming.

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