The weeks we are having right now are the best time of the year to plant shrubs and perennials for our summer dry climate. The soil is still warm from summer and autumn, but now it’s also thoroughly moist from the first weeks of good rain. The sunny days with fluffy, white clouds that come between rainstorms are the ideal time for planting. Newly installed plants will have five or six months to get their roots down into new soil before they get their first drought stress test, often in late May or early June when the first dry hot day of the new year comes along.

Rain fell like a blessing on our town last night, and the night before. Gentle, persistent showers, a sunny day, and then another night of showers. The garden was so happy! Leaves that had been dusty for months were shiny and refreshed, plants that were chronically stressed during our long dry summer were suddenly perky. Our gardening seasons are so dependent on this first rain of the year, that it almost should be declared the New Year whenever it comes. Break out the champagne!

I’m excited about a new element in the streetscape, sidewalk gardens. More and more frequently, I pass sections where the sidewalk has been removed and small gardens have been planted even where there are no street trees. Here are blooming yarrows, geraniums, sages, and lavenders. There are dramatic effects with New Zealand flax and muscular succulents. Grasses, wallflowers, and California natives like hummingbird sage or ceanothus, thrive in a profusion of colors and textures.