CONSERVATION CORNER

SPRING PLANTING, WHAT? ALREADY?

That's right! It's time to begin planning for spring planting. The nurseries in the Big Bear Valley typically open around the 1st of April and xeriscape plants do best with an early start requiring less water due to the cool temperatures and moist soil. Planting early provides new plants with a couple months of cool, steadily warming, weather to establish their roots. In addition, the sun angle is relatively low which reduces the probability of sunburn.

What about cold nighttime temperatures? Cold-tolerant xeriscape plants have no problem with temperatures in the 20's. As a matter of fact, snowfall is beneficial to newly planted plants. First, it provides additional moisture and it also offers insulation from the coldest nights, which typically occur immediately after a storm.

DWP and CSD have numerous ideas for planning low water use gardens, including a long list of plants appropriate for the Big Bear Valley. So, whether you are a do-it-yourself gardener or will be enlisting the services of one of the valley's landscapers, now is the time to begin the planning process.

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