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Six on Saturday: October 10, 2026

After a week of summerish temperatures in the nineties, autumn is beginning to express itself, although some plants still believe that it is summer.

1. Weeds are going to seed now more than the rest of the year. While most disperse seed almost continually through their growing season, some disperse more prior to autumn.

2. Cotinus coggygria, smoke tree retains is purplish foliar color rather well until the end of summer. Pollarding enhances such foliar color, although it also compromises bloom.

3. Cornus X ‘Eddies White Wonder’ dogwood is already beginning to show a slight bit of autumn foliar color. Only a few leaves are like this while all the rest remain bright green.

4. The same dogwood is also blooming with a few flowers. I do not know if these are late from last spring or early for next spring. It does this annually and still blooms for spring.

5. Feijoa sellowiana, pineapple guava supposedly ripens about now, but actually ripens for late autumn or even early winter. These fruit are abundant but still need to plumpen.

6. Leycesteria formosa, Himalayan honeysuckle is producing its first two berries here! I realize that each of several trusses should produce several berries, but these are the first!

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Lantana

Trailing lantana can also bloom white.

Autumn weather is not yet too cool. Trailing lantana, Lantana montevidensis, can bloom until cooler winter weather. It is almost never completely without bloom while weather is warm. Eventually, it sheds some of its foliage as it blooms less or not at all for winter. It dislikes the shade and dampness of fallen leaves. Raking removes most of such debris.

Trailing lantana trails with sprawling and thin stems. It is generally less than a foot high, but can spread more than six feet wide. It can climb higher than a foot into shrubbery or other support. Its inch long leaves are strongly aromatic. Its tiny lavender flowers bloom in small, dense and circular trusses of about twenty. One cultivar exhibits white blooms.

Trailing lantana is most popular as a small scale ground cover. It can alternatively grow with a mix of flowering perennials. It cascades nicely from big pots or elevated planters. Though undemanding, it prefers good sun exposure. Partial shade compromises bloom. Trailing lantana tolerates mediocre soils and lapses of irrigation. It is vulnerable to frost. Also, it is toxic to grazing livestock. It is readily available from nurseries, in four inch and gallon pots.

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Autumn Weather Eventually Becomes Cooler

Some foliage turns color for autumn.

Cool season vegetables and cool season annuals might still seem early. The weather is not yet notably cool, although it is not as warm as it was for summer. Nevertheless, it is now autumn. The weather will become increasingly cooler and eventually rainier before winter. Plant growth will decelerate. Some foliage will become both colorful and messy.

As the weather cools, irrigation will become less demanding. Evapotranspiration, which is evaporation from foliage, decreases substantially. Deciduous plants defoliate, so can not transpire. Evaporation from soil also decreases. Rain will dampen everything that is not under a roof later in autumn. Then, irrigation will be redundant until the rain pauses.

Rain later in autumn typically accompanies storms. Stormy weather can damage trees, or potentially destabilize some. It is therefore important to address arboricultural issues now, prior to stormy weather. Arborists will be busy later, so may not be able to respond to emergencies immediately. After autumn, winter storms can be even more destructive.

As plant growth decelerates, pruning and mowing will become less necessary. Hedging may not be necessary again until growth resumes in spring. Late pruning can stimulate new growth. Such growth would be susceptible to damage from stormier winter weather later. Rain might sometimes delay lawn mowing, which should be less frequent anyway.

Some deciduous foliage becomes colorful as the weather cools and the nights lengthen. Even more of it becomes messy. As autumn progresses, it necessitates raking from turf and hardscapes. Unraked foliar debris causes mildew within lawns, and shades out the grass. Foliage also stains hardscapes, clogs drainage, and becomes a slipping hazard.

Gardening certainly evolves with the seasons. Some tasks become less demanding for autumn, or unnecessary. Others become more important. This autumn may precede an extreme El Nino winter. It is therefore advisable not to neglect garden maintenance as it becomes necessary. Minor concerns can become major when the weather gets stormy.

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Six on Saturday: Bark II

Six more mostly big conifers continue from last Saturday.

1. Juglans hindsii, Northern California black walnut is one of two of these six which are not conifers. It is also one of two that are exotic, though it is native to adjacent counties.

2. Cupressus macrocarpa, Monterey cypress is the other one that is exotic, although it is native to an adjacent county. Both it and California black walnut are almost native here.

3. Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine does not mingle much with redwood or Douglas fir, so is the dominant big conifer within its forests. It is the Official State Tree of Montana.

4. Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas fir mingles mostly with redwood or oak forests. Only a few venture into nearby ponderosa pine forests. It is the Official State Tree of Oregon.

5. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood is the Official State Tree of California, and the tallest tree species in the World! It really is a pleasure to work around so many of them.

6. Rhody has the nicest bark. He is the other one of two of these six that are not conifers. It is difficult to get a good picture of him. Even with a treat, this was the best I could do.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Beet

Most beets are famously deep red.

Like several of the cool season vegetables, beet, Beta vulgaris, is a root vegetable. It is, however, the same species as chard, which is leafy greens. Although beet varieties are different from chard varieties, beet foliage is also edible. Beet is biennial, so its roots are not palatable after their first year. They become tough and bitter as they bolt and bloom.

Most beet varieties produce big and round roots that are deep red. Others can be white, yellow or internally striped with red and white. Some have cylindrical roots, or roots that are shaped like carrots. Their foliage is mostly deep green, typically with red midribs like that of chard. Foliage stands only about half a foot broad and a foot high above ground.

As a root vegetable, beet should grow from directly sown seed. Transplanting damages or disfigures roots. Seed should go into organically rich and loose soil about now. Their successive planting may involve subsequent crops every two weeks until spring. Crops can be small if they are so frequent. Beet needs full sun exposure and regular watering.

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Successive Planting Prolongs Vegetable Harvest

Productive vegetables can become overwhelmingly abundant.

Cool season vegetables are now becoming seasonable. Regardless of warm weather, it is technically autumn, so the weather will get cooler. It might be tempting to sow all seed and plant all seedlings for vegetables at once. There should be no rush, though. Spring is half a year from now. Until then, successive planting can prolong vegetable harvests.

Successive planting entails cultivation of small crops throughout their seasons. The first vegetable crops, or groups, should begin as soon as they are seasonal. The last should finish at about the end of their seasons. Various vegetables grow at various rates. Some begin or finish earlier or later than others. Timing should not be too complicated, though.

Each crop of vegetables should ideally finish production as its subsequent crop begins. The typical duration of production should determine the frequency of subsequent crops. For example, each beet crop is productive for about two weeks. Each subsequent crop should therefore begin two weeks after its preceding crop. Production can last all winter.

Successive planting is not merely for cool season vegetables. It is as effective for warm season vegetables, and some spring and summer bulbs. The earliest cool season crops can replace the first warm season crops to finish. The process continues for weeks until the cool season vegetables replace all others. There is no rush for successive planting.

Large vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, require more space. They also require fewer crops because they mature relatively slowly. Successive planting for them may involve only one early crop and one late crop. Each crop might be productive for more than a month. Individual plants within each crop might mature at different rates.

Cucumber and pea are actually fruits rather than vegetables. Their vines are productive until they succumb to the weather. Those that start now may produce until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle winter may produce until spring. Therefore, two crops may be the extent of their successive planting. One may suffice for mild climates. Cucumbers are actually warm season vegetables that grow for autumn and early spring.

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Six on Saturday: Bark

It has been quite a while since I shared pictures of the interesting bark around here.

1. Umbellularia californica, bay is known by several common names, such as California bay laurel, California bay, California laurel, Oregon myrtle, mountain laurel, spicebush, pepperwood, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree and balm of Heaven. Wow!

2. Platanus racemosa, California sycamore is technically not a riparian species, but does prefer to be near water. They can grow a bit too well in lawns, and then become too big.

3. Arbutus mensiesii, madrone has both very smooth bark and finely checkered bark like this. The smooth bark is chestnut brown, and is about as smooth and shiny as chestnuts.

4. Quercus lobata, valley oak is still relatively young. Otherwise, its bark would be more deeply furrowed. It might be here for another six centuries, and grow impressively large.

5. Quercus agrifolia, coast live oak has variable bark. It is mostly smooth and gray while young, but can get striated at an early age. It eventually roughens and darkens with age.

6. Lithocarpus densiflorus, tanoak is technically not an oak, but creates acorns anyway. The gray portions of its bark resemble that of coast live oak, but are not quite as smooth.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Collard

Some varieties of collard are perennial.

Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprout are all of the same species. Brassica oleracea is weirdly diverse, and also includes kale and collard. All varieties are collectively the cole crops. They are cool season vegetables that grow from autumn until spring. Most are biennials that grow as annuals. Some kales and collards are perennial.

Collard does not form heads like cabbage does. It instead grows loosely on stout stalks. Most are only about two feet high. A few perennial types can grow six feet high, and can grow from cuttings. All other types grow from seed or cell pack seedlings. More varieties are available as seed than as seedlings. Online markets offer more than nurseries stock.

Although perennial collards provide greens all year, they are better during cool weather. Also, collard greens are best while young and tender, before they mature too completely. They are easy to collect from the bottoms of the foliar rosettes, upward towards the tops. They need, however, to retain enough leaves to continue growing through their season.