SoCal Zone 24 Garden Rehab

Just started garden rehab for prep for March formal garden wedding. Ripped out weedy sod. Rototilled topper into remaining soil. When to plant sod?
What to do now to prep for much color in mid March? How do I get rid of gophers?

Got photos? How big an area? Can you rent color pots from a local nursery?
DH planted his sod up here in late Feb. If that helps. You have milder climate than we do, but you may get more rain, especially in March.
Gophers, you can club 'em, trap 'em, poison 'em, sic a cat or gopher snake on 'em, but you never really get rid of them. By the time you do, the ones next door move over to your place. DP might have some ideas on that.
BTW, welcome to DG!
WIB,
SW

You need to get your beds ready now. You are close to the same climate we are and we are putting all our spring flowers in now and they will burst when the ground warms up. I just do not know if that will happen by March. We usually have full color in April. Snapdragons just sit in the ground during the cold weather and grow roots. When the original bloom is done, just dead head. In the spring when the heat hits, they will be magnificent. Pansies are the same but I prefer violets because they do not get as stringy and do not need to be dead headed. Or you could have the nursery special order what you need and have it delivered one week before the wedding. Our daughter got married in October 20 years+ ago. We had more time and we also had a pool in the back landscape so we had many floating floral baskets in the pool. We also placed many pots of indoor plants with a tropical look in the planting beds. Looked like they belonged there. And at the large warehouse stores those plants are inexpensive. We also have two very large trees so we hand hanging baskets of flowers amoung the trees and the trees were lit up with white small Christmas lights.

I did a back landscape last March for a memorial for a friend's father who died unexpectedly. Loews have 42" round low pots that I used. We had a very large back landscape and the planter areas were already there. The landscape was a mess. We got it done in 3 days but had 7 guys following my instructions. I will show you one of the pots and then show what we did with them. They are on sale sometimes for $79.00. Other times $149.00 You just need to keep your eyes open. I looked on line and they are 3 times more. They are made out of fiberglass. I have also used hem for small herb and lettuce gardens. Hope this helps a little. But as SW said, how big is the landscape area. Probably need a photo.

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This is a completed one from the memorial. All plant were purchased at local nurseries and two large bags of potting soil was needed to fill each pot. I am not in business. I just do this for family or friends at no charge.

This was an area in the middle of the patio that was a circle with nothing in it but a couple of shaggy looking cannas. We purchased pots. Turned some upside down and placed the other one right side up, filled with potting soil and then planted yellow roses in bloom that were at the nurseries. Then we filled in around the pots with whatever we could find. It is really going to depend on what is available at that time. You will just need to talk to a few nurseries and see what they think they can get for you. Hopefully for you it is toward the end of March. Good luck.

I forgot one hing. Any fiberglass pot can be painted whatever color you want. We took gray outdoor paint and added just a small amount of sand. That gave the pot a rough finished look. We chose gray because we had a lot of large pink pots that we repainted, therefore, whatever we added we also made gray. I hope you can see these. These are the pots that we pink.

I forgot one thing. Any fiberglass pot can be painted whatever color you want. We took gray outdoor paint and added just a small amount of sand. That gave the pot a rough finished look. We chose gray because we had a lot of large pink pots that we repainted, therefore, whatever we added we also made gray. I hope you can see these. These are the pots that we pink.

Since you're in Sunset zone 24 like I am, you can pretty much plant sod all year long. (Providing we don't get any major rainfall for days on end. ) We just planted about 300 sq. ft. of it this week.

Now is when you should put in annuals for Mid-March color. Pansy's, Violas, Iceland Poppies, Calendulas, Stock, Anchuza, Primulas, Cineraria, Snaps, too like skwynter said.

Some other things can go in now too, like Delphinium, Larkspur, Foxgloves, and some of the spring bulbs that don't need to be pre-chilled...but these may not be flowering by mid March...more like the middle of April.

If you want sweet peas, you can get them now at nurseries and they'll definitely have blooms in March.

Most nurseries will have bare root roses by the first week of January.

Forgot to add: Ranunculas are readily available in 6 packs now, too. They will definitely have color in mid March if you plant them now.

Can't help with the gopher issue, sorry !

skwinter, nice photos showing what you can do on short notice. I really like terra cotta pots, but they aren't holding up well in the gh, and will have to make the trade over to the fiberglass pots in there. Nice to know I can paint them. Oh boy, another project where I can play with color!
Some nurseries do rent plants, Sparklecindy, you might have to dicker with them. You can always ask your wedding planner/caterer/favorite restaurant who they recommend. Lots of offices/restaurants/ and other commercial buildings have contracts with nurseries to keep their live plants looking their best. They come in clean off the leaves, water, fertilize, and trade out plants that aren't happy. It never hurts to ask!
JP, you be the grass man, and I mean that with all respect.
One other thing, is the crew who lays your sod should not lie it down in straight rows. Gaps may appear. I bought grass seed to fill those in for DH and didn't tell him. If you get the sod laid soon, Sparklecindy, it will be all filled in by March and looking great!
Can't beat the suggestions others have made for early spring color. Go with what is blooming, and hopefully it will work well with the Brides' color scheme.
If all else fails, there is always silk flowers.
Also, formal outdoor wedding means you need wide paths, keep that in mind when planning the hardscape. If you can, take a photo of the project, so we can all learn from your experience.
Hope all this helps. I wish the Bride and Groom a very happy life together.
For the parents, I hope you hide a bottle of Champagne to enjoy after the guests have left.
WIB~
SW

edited for spelling error.

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 8:30 PM

Beds are getting ready. Posted photos of some areas on my blog. The ground is wet, wet, wet. We didn't move fast enough before the rain to get the sod in, and the area is not leveled yet. Cannas came out of gopher paradise and the dogs are digging! I'm going to look into the pest control guys and their gas pellets. Just spotted a termite swarm out of a high part of the yard in the sun. More areas to fence the dogs out. Two dogs have demonstrated and amazing ability to leap small fences.

to all of you, thank you for the response! There many great ideas, let's see how many I can plan, and implement. I'm a little frantic now, as I own a business which requires travel. I have time now in December to try to get much done, and then only three non-consecutive weeks of actual hands on. I will have to rely on help and my family to implement what I can't.

In case you're considering a sod alternative, I like dymondia. I use it around stepping stones and from a distance, it looks like a slightly silvery lawn--one that you don't have to mow. There's commercial location near me that's used it extensively and it always looks tidy. I read on one site that dog urine won't kill it, and so far, my Golden Retriever hasn't been able to make a dent in it. Once it's established, you won't have to water it, either, and it stands up to heat. I have some in a hot, south-facing exposure adjacent to some hardscaping on 2 sides and the heat doesn't faze it. It occasionally get little yellow daisy-like flowers. However, I don't know if you have enough time to have it fill in in time for the wedding, but it might be worth considering for the future.

I agree 100% about the Dymondia. It's a great ground cover.
Cat urine doesn't seem to phase it, either.

Spring bulbs look great poking up through it, too !