Why mango trees can be grown nearly everywhere in Southern California ...Middle East

Five things to do in the garden this week:

Fruits. In Southern California, you can grow mango trees anywhere except where it freezes. I once saw an orchard of mango trees in Granada Hills, so anywhere south, east, or west of there should support mango growth. Small trees could be killed by the occasional hard frosts that we occasionally experience, and larger trees will be damaged but will probably survive in such weather. The Granada Hills mango trees all came from seeds extracted from store-bought mangoes, although it took seven years for the seedlings that grew from these seeds to bear fruit. Often, the fruit from seedling mango trees is of good quality, but you will want to plant named varieties to know what kind of fruit you will get. Native to India and Burma, the mango is the most popular fruit from India to the Philippines. In the tropics, a mango tree can grow to a height and spread of 100 feet and live for several centuries. In Southern California, however, mature mango trees may not grow taller than large shrubs. The reason they stay small in our area has to do with our low rainfall and humidity and cold temperatures, especially at night, as compared to the prevailing climatic conditions in the tropics.

Vegetables. When growing zucchini squash, also known as courgettes, there is a temptation to just let them grow since they can reach gargantuan proportions — the largest zucchini on record eclipsed eight feet in length — and make quite a spectacle when they do. However, zucchinis lose their flavor and tenderness with an increase in size. The most flavorful zucchinis are only three to four inches long. Another bonus of harvesting smaller fruit is that your plant will keep flowering and fruiting throughout the summer. When you allow larger fruit to form, the total number of zucchinis you harvest during a single growing season will be reduced. Zucchini bread is a popular summer treat that consists of baking your favorite bread after grated zucchini, brown sugar, and cinnamon — together with chocolate chips, if you like — have been mixed into the dough. Zucchini flowers are also edible and are typically consumed battered or stuffed and fried.

Herbs. Paprika is made from sweet, elongated red peppers, with the Almas and Bolog varieties most notable among them. These peppers grow like any other, meaning they need at least six hours of sunlight exposure to thrive, but that half-day sun should be sufficient. Intense sun or heat, which may accompany placement in a container or on a hot patio, can lead to stress and burnt foliage or fruit. After harvest, hang peppers up in mesh bags to dry, ideally in a shady spot since sun exposure tends to diminish their color. You can also just make a chain of them with needle and thread. Once peppers are wrinkled and dry, remove stems, cut into small pieces, and turn them into powder with a spice or coffee bean grinder.

Perennials. You must see lion’s tail (Leonotus leonurus), a South African native, to appreciate it. Flowers appear in brilliant orange pyrotechnic displays, unlike anything seen on earth. Perhaps it’s a creature from the deep or maybe it’s an alien from outer space that came to rest in the garden. Its flower petals have been said to hang down like the fringes on a lion’s tail and its leaves are a vivid, shining, deep emerald green. As to the impact of lion’s tail in the garden, veteran plant watchers point to its ability to focus the eye like few other species. It is an accent plant to end all accent plants. Once established, lion’s tail does not need water more than twice a month. A woody perennial reaching four feet in height, it blooms continuously from spring until fall as long as its flowers are removed as soon as their petals begin to fade.

Pests. Aphids, also known as plant lice, are widely seen this time of year but they are nothing to worry about. Do not spray them with anything, organic or otherwise, since most sprays can be damaging to certain beneficial insects. It is best to either knock aphids off with a strong jet of water from a hose or rub them off with thumb and forefinger. Aphids are among the most fascinating creatures in the garden. Certain types, such as oleander aphids, are viviparous (giving birth to live young) and parthenogenetic (giving birth without mating). To prove this point, no male oleander aphids have yet been found.

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