GARDENING IN TEMPLETON, CALIFORNIA
METHODS / GARDENS / CRITTERS
As one raised in Southern California in Los Angeles and Ventura
County, I found
Templeton hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. I
haven't seen much successful
citrus growing in Templeton, especially where I
live in West Templeton. But we can
grow more varieties of apples because we have
more cold winter days.
I am starting this page in April, 2007. Last summer was
very hot with many days
over the century mark. And last winter had the lowest
temperature I can remember
since moving here in 1993 -- 15°.
it caused many of us to lose plants
-- at least we thought we had. I have a home
in Paso Robles, and after the days of below
freezing weather I walked the
neighborhood and everyone's yard looked gray and dead.
My gazanias in both
Templeton and Paso Robles appeared to be dead,
and my marguerites
in both locations definitely didn't survive the frost.
Fortunately, some of what we thought was dead revived.
Here is one of
the gazanias in Paso Robles I thought was dead.
There was no green to be seen in
the beginning of March. But this was
taken the first week of April. You can see
the new growth
emerging from the gray mess. It remains to be seen how much of
this will return.
Here is a
clump of gazanias that was planted to the east of the pump house wall on our
Templeton property and it was taken the came week as the picture above in Paso
Robles.
The gazanias in Templeton had been almost covered with dry leaves before
the most severe frost hit. As you can see, they are now in bloom again.
The
Dusty Miller also came through the freeze with flying colors and is about to
bloom.
I was also
afraid my lavender, which is growing on a small slope facing north, was dead.
But just this week I noticed that it, too, emerged safely after the freeze and
you can see the
new green shoots poking through the gray dead remains from last
year's growth.
© Barbara Radisavljevic, Templeton CA, 2007