It is is always fun for me to look at flowers and garden ideas when you go to other cities. It is especially true when you go to a city like San Diego whose climate is so drastically different than the one you are used to being in. I'm pretty sure San Diego is heaven for a flower and vegetable gardener. Just think, you could have a vegetable garden year round. The average coastal high temperture is about 70 degrees and the average coastal low temperature is about 55 degrees. Instead of compressing a growing season into about four to five months like in Wisconsin, the growing season in San Diego can stretch for a full twelve months.
Having said that, the drastic change of seasons we have in Wisconsin is a strong pull for me. The knowledge that the growing season comes to an end for a period of time, and that you and your garden can rest, is a feeling I like. For me, "putting the garden to bed" in the fall provides me a sense of inner peace.
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San Diego garden that has something growing year round
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I have been in San Diego for the past two days with my sister, Betsy, and her family. We had an awesome time and visited many different parts of the city. California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. Individuals and businesses have been asked to reduce their water consumption by 25 to 30%. This requirement to reduce water consumption has changed what kind of flowers and plants Betsy and her family can plant around their house. Instead of an in ground sprinkler system, they have changed their irrigation system to a drip system. Also, instead of traditional annuals like zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, etc., they have shifted to succulents that require less water. Here are some pictures of the succulents and drip irrigation system.
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| Drip line into the potted plants |
