Anyway near Burbank?

My daughter just moved to her first house last week and I wanted to send her some plants. She said it was starting to get cold at night so.....

She is also not a gardner by any means so she has no clue as to what may work that I have.

If someone finds the time could they look at my journal and make suggestions on what may work out there weatherwise?

thanks

Hi Knot, it's Karen isn't it?

I live south of your DD in Hungtinton Beach, which is about 45 miles. She is more inland than I am, but the weather is similar.

She can grow almost anything you have. We don't have freezing type weather, but it can get down into the high 30's or low 40's at night during the winter. I grow most of your type plants and they do well for me. If it looks like it could get real cold, she could always just throw some plastic sheeting over any plants that she really wants to protect, for the night.

I am in zone 10, and she could be zone 9-10. Us So. California people are very lucky with growing tropicals. There are only a few excepts like....the desert or mountain areas.

I hope this helps you and if you have any other questions, just let me know. There is a member here named Kelli , that's her username, and she lives up in your DD's area. You might DG mail her and ask her the same question.

Good luck,
Donna

LOL,

Thats my daughters name also.

I will look her up.

Thanks,

Karen

Actually Burbank is nothing like Huntington Beach... worlds apart in terms of weather. I live a few miles from Burbank and we get down into the 20s every year. That eliminates literally thousands of species of plant that will grow great in Huntington Beach that dont' have a snowball's chance in you-know-where here in the valley... so be careful what you buy and try to grow in Burbank... yes, it's a better climate for growing than most of the country, but Huntington Beach is nirvana compared to here...

PalmBob,

She is in the Burbank Equestrian Center, not sure of the altitude.

She has never mentioned the 20's though, I have heard the 50's ???

K

It gets cold here sometimes! Got down to 27F last year in parts of Burbank... not sure where the equestrian center is... have an major cross street names?

Hope this helps.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&addtohistory=&formtype=address&searchtype=address&cat=&address=1514%20W%20Morningside%20Dr&city=Burbank&state=CA&zipcode=91506%2d3024&searchtab=home

It is also referred to as the L.A. Equestrian Center near Griffith Park.

K

know exactly where that is... wasnt aware that too was Burbank... not 'quite' as chilly there as where I am (2 miles more toward the center of the valley)... but easily gets into the 20s at least every other year... sure did last year.

Hi, I am the aforementioned Kelli. I am in Canoga Park - almost Chatsworth. I am about 20 miles west-northwest of Burbank. I have lived where I live for 8 years and have never seen it get below 30F right here at old Rancho Kelli. Most of the time, it stays above 32F. If it got below 35F last year, it was only a time or two. I live part way up the south side of a hill and it does get colder down below. So you see that microclimates are a big thing.

Also, although it doesn't freeze where I am, it isn't exactly tropical balmy, either (40s at night, 60s during the day). Some tropical plants, like bananas, just kind of languish through the winter and look tired. Also, the heat can sometimes be hard on some things. Every year we get temps over 100F. Nearly every year, there are days over 105F. About one year in four, there will be days over 110F. Now that is where I am. Burbank, at least at the airport, has highs about 5 degrees cooler (less hot!) than at my house.

Of the plants in your journal, I have growing out in the open (not in pots under the porch roof)
banana, Dracaena marginata, staghorn fern, bougainvillea, canna, grapefruit, navel orange, tangerine, shell ginger, butterfly ginger, rosemary, and hibiscus. Neighbors have plumeria and Norfolk Island pine. People down on the valley floor have bananas and they get damaged every winter but recover and sometimes produce fruit. Of those, I think canna are the most cold-hardy. They survive down to zone 7or 8. Mine do not go dormant in the winter but just kind of bide their time and don't grow much and don't bloom. Blooming is basically done now.

Besides the winter temperatures considerations, I'd say that until she gets more experience that she stay away from plants that need high humidity. Rarely is the humidity high here during the day. Usually the humidity is kind of moderate, like in the 40s%, but there are times, and it happens every year, when the humidity gets down in the teens. I don't like to fuss over stuff too much so I stay away from plants that need high humidity.

Kelli,

Wow, thanks.

I just sent my Kelly an IM about booking her ticket for Christmas. If she come down then I can give her a gardening 101.

I have cannas I can offer her along with others that you have suggested. This way she can take them home with her and not have to deal with the mail.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Kelli, I may hit you up for more advice at a later date.

Thanks again.

K

Sure, no problem. I'll be here (barring unforeseen circumstances).

Just a little suggestion/request for the benefit of CA agriculture, transport all of the plants bare-root and take the utmost, scrupulous care to make sure there are no insects on them or signs of disease. (Ninety percent of the insect problems that I have are due to insects that were accidentally brought into the state.)

Kelli,

You got it.

K

And that goes for lizards too. ;-) (wink wink!)

I just booked DD's ticket for christmas so she will be bringing them back with her, minus dirt and lizards!!!

LOL.

K