GardenersCardiff answers:

It depends on which gardening zone you’re in. To find out:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/category.jsp?catref=cat170008

I’m in zone 5b. The first bulbs that bloom for me are Snowdrops (Galanthus). Here are some cultivars:
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/genus.php?genusid=24
Mine just started to bloom a couple days ago and will continue for a few weeks.

My father lives in zone 7 and he has daffodils blooming right now. Here are some different kinds of daffies:
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/genus.php?genusid=44
There are 14 different divisions of daffies for you to explore. I like Jonquillas best for their fragrance but I have many different kinds.

Crocus also blooms very early:
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/genus.php?genusid=14
Very early crocus can be planted in waves in your grassy areas or you can use different colors to make designs. They will finish blooming and start to die off then just mow the grass as usual. They’re also inexpensive.

The sites that I’ve given are all from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. They’re a great company and have a free catalog. Spring-blooming bulbs are planted in the autumn for the next year’s bloom.

If you want to chat about gardening, e-mail me. I love to talk plants. I’ll try to help in any way that I can. Before ordering from any on-line business, please check the reviews of the company here:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/
There are some great companies out there and some very, very bad ones.

GardenersCardiff answers:

I’m in N. CA too. You should start your book collection off with the “Sunset Western Garden Book” – it’s our bible. It covers a good range of plants and is a good beginner book.

Now, know that with all gardens you will have to water them to get them started. Once they are established, you begin to taper off your watering. You also want drought tolerant plants since you don’t want to do much care once they are established.

Here are some good natives nurseries to check out:
http://www.calfloranursery.com/
http://www.mostlynatives.com/
http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/
http://www.laspilitas.com/

Since your climate and needs are so specific, you should really consult a good nursery in your area and get your questions answered about which natives to use, when to plant them, how often to water and for how long, etc.

You will also want to ask about what veggie starts you can get this time of year for a fall garden. Be sure to note how much sun your area gets and plan accordingly.

Sorry I can’t give you absolute definite ideas but you have really specific needs. But I hope I gave you some ideas and advice to go on.

GardenersCardiff answers:

The Sunset Western Garden Book is the Bible for all California gardeners. It has extensive information on all the microclimate zones in both southern and northern California, and what to plant there. It has an indispensable plant encyclopedia with information on thousands of plants, as well as plant lists (with pictures) for particular gardening situations (e.g., coastal gardens, shade, dry inland gardens, high desert, etc.). If you don’t have one, get one, you’ll use it probably more than any book specific to southern California.

GardenersCardiff answers:

I currently have 2 friends that are trying the hay bale gardening this year and so far so good. The beans and tomatoes are doing well. I didn’t have time this year to try it, but will definitely try it next year.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Daylilies. Start with daylilies. They come in a gazillion colors, bloom for weeks, come back year after year. Buy a one gallon size for impact, dig a hole, plop it in, fill in the hole, push the dirt down and water it. No muss no fuss no bother.

Coreopsis. Great workhorse plant. Pot or in the ground, same scenario. They’ll literally bloom til the tops freeze.

Iris. Unless you water them to death they’re pretty bulletproof. Buy them potted, this time of year. Do not put dirt past the level they’re planted in the pot. Bearded iris are my favorites, but there are other varieties…ask at your nursery.

Peonies. Another bulletproof selection. Again, buy them potted this time of year.

Sedum. Gotta love a good succulent.

All these like full sun. The daylily will grow and bloom in part sun, but not as well as they do in open ground. Also, all of these will grow just about anywhere in the country. Halfway decent soil that’s not real wet will give you results.

For shade, try bleeding hearts, columbine, dead nettle, sweet woodruff, hosta, ferns, cordyline, monkshood, and lily-of-the-valley. Same basics, dig a hole and drop it in. If you can grow fairly impressive weeds, your soil should support these.

Get yourself a Western Garden Book if you’re really serious. It’ll answer most of your questions. Good luck!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Prune them & stick them in plastic soil & they’ll do just fine!

GardenersCardiff answers:

I suggest finding some basic gardening books you like the looks of and reading them. If you’re short on funds, try the library or thrift stores, which are an abundant source of cheap books.

I specifically suggest as a beginner you do some of your reading on companion planting, some plants like each other and some plants don’t. Some plants have beneficial effects for other plants. For instance, you’ll want to put your marigolds near your tomato, as marigolds exude something that nematodes (microscopic worms that are a scourge of tomato plants) don’t like. Other plants, like the onion family, are disliked by many other plants and plants planted near or with onions will often do poorly.

Also, if you plant to plant them in the ground, it will be helpful for you to read up on building your soil with compost, mulching the top of the soil, pest protection. Asiatic lily’s are especially attractive to gophers, so I’d keep those in a pot, although if you have gophers, they’ll eat almost anything if they’re really hungry.

If you plant to keep your garden in pots, which is not a bad idea for a beginner, read up on container gardening. It’s basic but knowing that black plastic pots can absorb enough direct sun on a hot day to effectively cook and kill a plant, and that you’ll want a loose soil that retains water are among necessary tips you’ll get in a container gardening book.

I’m in California, and for me the Sunset Western Garden Book is a bible. It’s specifically written for the western states, if you are outside that area I’m sure Sunset has a publication that covers your area. Use it and read it and explore it, it will have pretty much everything you will need to know, although if you are really interested in gardening there are lots of other wonderful books as well.

Above all, don’t be afraid to try new things, to learn from your mistakes and don’t give up if something dies or fails, you can always start again. Have fun!

Oh, and a wonderful way to learn about gardening as well as gourmet cooking is to have some potted herbs. Herbs started a lifelong interest for me in gardening and also in cooking! Even if you don’t have the room or inclination ro grow your own food, growing your own herbs to use as seasoning is very rewarding. Basic herbs you’ll want to start would be rosemary, oregano, tarragon, thyme. Those are all perennials, meaning they live through the year. Your annual herbs would be basil and chive. There are lots more, be sure to taste a leaf of the plant before you buy, I find some oregano and marjorams much more tasty than others. As 4″ pottted herbs will take a while to get to where you can regularly take cuttings, you might want to start with a larger plant. I won’t usually take cuttings from any herbs til they’ve been in my garden getting overhead water for a couple of months, that way I know any junk on them from the growers has washed off.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Water early in the morning. Avoid strong fertilizers until your plants are mature. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. I’ve personally murdered many a good plant through neglect, ignorance, and stupidity.
Read the little cards that come with the plants, there is a lot of use-full information there.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Www.moonworkshome.com/blog
www.renewalbyandersennow.com/blog
http://www.calfinder.com/blog/
http://backyardsandgardens.com/

GardenersCardiff answers:

Dave’s Garden has encyclopedic amounts of information available. They also have GardenWatchdog, which gives feedback on many mailorder gardening companies, so she can check out reputations before she places any orders.