My Favorite Things to Grow in the San Francisco Bay Area
I like growing things. I find it a needed break from what seems to be an ever more stressful and hair-trigger world.
I particularly commend these plants to you.
Houseplants
Spathiphyllum. The marketing mavens must have come up with its popular name: peace lily. But even unvarnished, spathiphyllum is a lollapalooza: shiny, dense leaves topped by a long-blooming, surreal, spade-shaped white inflorescence. And spathiphyllum comes in both one- and two-foot sizes. They’re happy when moist and in moderate light. They’re available, as those marketing mavens would say, wherever houseplants are sold.
Phalaenopsis orchid. This is an easy-to-grow and long-blooming orchid, three months once or twice a year. Its arcing white or pink spikes are spectacular and you can buy phalaenopsis in bloom at supermarkets for the price of a pizza — and they last much longer than even an extra-large. Just put it in a fairly sunny window such that the leaves are light green.
Coleus Electric Lime. Coleus grows like a weed — I didn’t say “grows like weed” — and the Electric Lime variety is attractive, not psychedelic. Bonus: It roots in a glass of water. I’ve not seen Electric Lime in stores but you can get it online from Rosy Gardens.
Fruits
Orange Paruche tomato. Nutritionists call tomatoes a vegetable while scientists insist it’s a fruit, but who cares — Tomatoes may be the most rewarding edible you can grow — and don’t tell me about said marijuana. Having tried dozens of tomato varieties over the years, okay decades, my #1 choice is Orange Paruche because it has won major taste tests and I concur. My guess is that the reason you probably haven’t heard of it is that it’s orange, not red — Get it anyway. I’ve not seen plants or seeds of it at local nurseries and they’re kind of expensive online but if you email me (mnemko@comcast.net) to tell me how many you want and your mailing address, I’ll send as many as, say, ten for free.
Washington Navel Orange Tree. If you live in a warmer part of the Bay Area, try the widely available Washington Navel orange tree. In addition to giving brilliantly ornamental and tasty oranges in winter when nothing else in my garden is colorful, in spring it’s covered with deliciously fragrant white flowers, and year-long, the tree is well-clothed in glossy, dark green. All citrus trees are hungry sorts, craving feeding with general-purpose or citrus fertilizer every two months during the growing season. A way to remember: St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Halloween.
Flowering
Bougainvillea. If your locale is pretty frost-free, this purple or pink giant vine is great against a sunny wall, blooming spectacularly most of the year. And it’s drought-tolerant. Usually, hybrids are better performers than species but in the Bay Area, I recommend a species: Bougainvillea Brasiliensis, which is widely available — It has dense, glossy foliage covered with brilliant purple flowers. Fussbudgets insist they’re bracts not flowers, but we all have more important things to worry about.
Viola. This is my winter filler: half-foot tall flower machines, available in white, yellow, purple and earth tones, blooming nonstop from November through April. And they’re available in six-packs, which means cheap: under five bucks.
Marigold. This is America’s national flower and for good reason. From spring through fall, they’re covered with cream, yellow, or orange flowers and the plants resist disease and insect damage. Some varieties grow to just one foot tall while the tall ones can reach three feet. My faves are the one-foot-tall Bonanza Yellow and Bonanza Orange, widely available in six-packs.
Camellia Buttons and Bows. Attractive shrub all year, and in winter, when little else blooms, this explodes into a Christmas tree with pink and white round ornaments of spiraled form. And this variety of camellia blooms for about two months, longer than most. Hard to find locally but available online.
Rose. I believe the most rewarding rose bushes produce blooms with the classic rose form that you see in photographs and that are fine for cutting such as Olympiad and Touch of Class. I don’t spray my roses. I just cut back stems after they’ve bloomed and give the bushes a full haircut every January.
Other
Tamukeyama Japanese maple. This compact, finely-cut red-leaf variety is beautiful for three seasons each year and lives for 50+ years. It has been in commerce for 300 years.
Gardening is America’s most popular hobby and these plants help make it so.
I read this aloud on YouTube.
Marty Nemko is a career and personal coach and the author of 18 books, including his new, How to Do Life. You can reach Marty at mnemko@comcast.net.
