What to prune and what to plant in the garden this week

Five things to do in the garden this week:

1. If you haven’t pruned your coral tree (Erythrina caffra) within the last year, do it now. This species is most notably grown in the wide median that runs the length of San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood and Santa Monica. There are around 120 trees in this location and they have been designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, even if the trees there are frequently replanted due to an excess of broken branches. The coral tree is a magnificent, muscular-limbed species that loses its leaves in the winter and then, still in leafless condition, produces fiery orange flowers that are a truly magnificent sight to see. The only problem with the coral tree is that its shallow root system cannot support its own weight and so it must be pruned at least once a year. On several occasions I have seen large limbs of coral trees break off in winter storms and entire trees topple over. I strongly recommend that you prune your coral tree now if more than a year has gone by since its last pruning.

2. If you plant a fruit tree that has fruit on it, you should probably remove the fruit. The reason for this is that you want significant root growth before summer comes and siphoning the tree’s energy into fruit development will inhibit root system expansion. You must also consider that the thin branches of a small, grafted tree with minimal leaf cover are susceptible to sunburn should heavy fruit pull down on the ends of the branches, especially with weighty fruit such as grapefruits or avocados.

3. If you are wondering what to plant to always have cut flowers for your dining room table, think bulbs and their allies — corms, rhizomes, and tubers. Almost any plant that develops from an underground storage organ sends up stiff flower stalks that last for a week or more in a vase. Top candidates for a cut flower garden are irises of every kind, lily-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus), daylily (Hemerocallis), Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria), paperwhite narcissus, amaryllis (Hippeastrum) and naked lady (Amaryllis belladonna) since these flower heavily year after year and you don’t have to do anything in terms of care except to divide those that clump every few years.

4. It’s generally not a good idea to plant after a rain since soil becomes compacted when saturated and it’s difficult to dig. Furthermore, compacted soil lacks the pore spaces that hold oxygen needed for healthy root development and, in any case, the soil will resist penetration by plant roots. However, there is a solution to this problem and that is to add copious amounts of soil amendments, especially those with rice hulls such as Amend, a Kellogg product. The fluffy amendment will dry out the soil and the rice hulls will relieve compaction and promote drainage.

5. In a light rain, you can spread wildflower seeds and press them into the earth by walking over them. When it stops raining, sprinkle compost or soil amendment over the top and they should germinate just fine. After all, you are just replicating what happens in nature since most seeds fall to the soil surface and sprout just fine, even without a little protective mulch on top.

Please send questions and comments about any plant or gardening practice or problem to Joshua@perfectplants.com.