First two pictures are from when my sun gold and better boy were thriving. Other pictures are of me killing them unintentionally.

Was going great for weeks, started to get yellowing out of nowhere. Added fish fert and they bounced back a bit, but things took a turn and full branches started dying quickly, many fully yellowed, leaves shriveled up and became brown but not fully crispy. Now I’m left with a naked plant. New growth is still green though.

Soil is clay, planted in ground for the first time. Not sure if it’s over or under watering, disease, or a mixture of both. Looking for thoughts and advice on where I went wrong and what to change going forward.

I thought I'd share my 3 ginger bushes I planted last spring. I planted these with a single branch and they've gone wild since! They smell amazing and have a beautiful flower set which happens in the winter when everything else is dormant. They're a great addition to anyone looking for something different that thrives in the SoCal heat.

Edit: I tried to post pictures with the post but it wouldn't allow me so I posted them in the comments. Sorry :/

I know it’s common, but I love my yellow hibiscus! I remember the first time I went to Maui and saw these yellow hibiscus everywhere..

It was transplanted about a month ago when it was still about 4-6 inches tall. It surrently in a window box (23.5 w x 8 in L x 6 in H recycled plastic) I haven't used any fertilizers yet but I water it once a week. Zone10a.

Can anyone identify this plant? I'm coming up short. I was thinking Euonymus but its leaves appear to all be the reverse, green veining, yellow leaf. This is yellow veining, green leaf. It is being grown as a short hedge in full sun near Santa Monica, CA.

Thank you!

Anyone have any experience with an outdoor fiddle leaf fig tree in Los Angeles?
The apt I’m renting has a massive one growing in the backyard and it doesn’t seem happy. Lots of brown leaves dropping daily. The tree has probably been neglected for many years.

I don’t think I’ve seen one growing outdoors before and I’m kind of shocked that it’s like 50 feet tall!
The tree provides great shade early in the day but it’s very messy and is constantly dropping leaves and shriveled green figs.
I have to pick up after it continuously or the yard fills with dead leaves and figs.

Is this fiddle fig tree a curse?
It’s too massive to prune back. Do I need to figure out how to start watering it?
I’d like to figure out how to help it get healthy if possible.

Hi everyone! This is my first time really planning out a garden, so I’m still learning and would love some advice from people who garden in the high desert or similar climates.
I’m in (Zone 8b/9a) in Mojave desert and I made this layout based on how the sun and shade move through my yard. I have two trees that create a lot of shade in the middle/back area, but some parts of the beds get more morning sun and then shade later in the day.
I’m planning on starting my indoor seeds around mid-to-late February, then direct sowing some of the cooler crops around March 1–15. After the last frost, around late March/April, I’ll start putting out the warm-weather plants.

I’m mainly trying to work with the shade from the trees instead of fighting it, so I’m putting the more shade-tolerant plants closer to the trees and saving the sunnier areas for tomatoes, peppers,beans, etc.
I’d really appreciate any advice! What seed companies do you recommend? Are there any varieties that have done especially well for you in the high desert? And is there anything you would change about my layout or planting schedule?

Also I made a layout of the shade of that helps! With the second photo to get an idea. The photo was taken at 4:50pm
Shade for garden bed A
6 AM- full sun
8 AM- full sun
10 AM- stars to shade
12 PM- full shade
2 PM- full shade
4 PM- shaded sun starts to show in back of bed( shade is from the chained fence)
6 PM- gets shaded sun as sun goes down.

I’m wondering how my basil plant should be dealt with from here. What a bounty we have gotten, is it coming to an end? I went away for a week, so it’s flowering and a bit leggy. What should I do?

I’m having trouble dealing with my excessive mycelium growth because every thing i search is like “it’s great!!!! don’t worry about a thing!!!” or like…”i’ve never experienced it but here’s my guess!” so reddit, I come to you… my tomato plants have died somewhat mysteriously, and the soil they were living in appears to the human eye to be 90% mycelium, from just below the surface to 8 inches down. The picture shows a circle where i’ve moved the mulch and very thin layer of compost out of the way, but it’s in the whole area. The medium is originally a mix of perlite, compost, and “raised bed mix“ and a hefty layer of mulch (random leaves and stuff from the yard).

Plants in the affected area show wilt across the plant on a classic water stressed way, and the mycelium mass is clearly hydrophobic. It looks soft but it’s quite hard. breaking up the soil gently with a claw thing and chopstick have only mildly improved symptoms, but the daily wilt and lack of turgor are alarming. Has anyone experienced this and fixed it?

TLDR: Can I plant Little Gem magnolias in an area that is long but only 4 feet wide without damaging surrounding concrete / retaining wall?

Full saga with many additional questions:

I recently bought four Little Gem magnolia trees in 24-inch nursery boxes (still waiting for the 4th to arrive). They are already about 10 feet tall measured from the soil line, which is already as tall as I was led to believe they would get (I no longer believe this to be true).

I bought them because I am trying to shade the slider / window facing 140 degrees SE. At this time of year especially, the sun comes over the house in the morning at the perfect high angle to hit the windows and get behind any blockers that aren't right up against the house (see red dot to represent sun in the pic). But in general, I would like year round shade as much as possible on that side of the house. I want plants rather than awnings for various reasons. After lots of research, chatting, and nursery conversations, I decided little gem magnolias were a good option. They are robust, stay reasonably small, don't drop a bunch of garbage on the ground, and make great shade. The issue is that in their current size, they need to be basically next to the house to create any shade where I want it. I am aware I will need to wait a few years for them to be really useful, but I want to plan / minimize that time as much as possible. Partly, I am trying to decide whether to plant them in large containers near my house for the next several years, plant them in the ground now, or reconsider the plan entirely (some other type of plant). I would especially appreciate advice from people who have grown Little Gem magnolias in Southern California.

My questions are:

1. How much open ground does a Little Gem actually need?

The possible planting areas are surrounded by concrete (see pics), so I am concerned about roots eventually lifting or cracking it. In the pic with the 3 trees, the dirt area is 7 feet wide where the far tree is, and only 40" where the near tree is.

Chat suggests that I need almost as much root area as the canopy to support the tree. At the same time, I see many mature full-size magnolias around my neighborhood planted in narrow strips between sidewalks and curbs. Some have trunks around 18 inches thick and canopies roughly 30 feet across, yet the surrounding concrete appears undamaged. In some cases, the visible soil strip is only about 3 feet wide (but is long in one direction).

Does a Little Gem need an open planting bed approximately as wide as its eventual canopy, or can it grow successfully in a much narrower strip or opening? Does it make a difference whether the available soil is a long, narrow strip versus a small square opening surrounded by concrete?

For those who have planted one near paving, how close is yours to a sidewalk, patio, driveway, foundation, or curb, and have the roots caused any damage? I would really like to avoid damage to the retaining wall in the background, or the sidewalk / fence concrete.

2. How large can one realistically grow in a container or out?

Because these trees are already about 10 feet tall, I am trying to understand how much larger they might become in a large pot vs in the ground.

I have been looking for containers approximately 30 inches in interior diameter (see pic, but one size up), large enough to accommodate the existing 24-inch square root balls (same square shape). Has anyone kept a Little Gem this size in a container? How tall and wide did it eventually become, what size container was it in?

3. Can a Little Gem remain healthy long-term in a pot with root maintenance?

Could one live for many years in a sufficiently large container if it is periodically removed, root-pruned, given fresh potting medium, and returned to the container? Or do Little Gem magnolias eventually decline in containers regardless of that maintenance? For anyone doing this successfully, how frequently do you inspect or trim the roots, and what problems have you encountered with watering, drainage, heat, wind, or root binding?

4. Could I plant them in the ground later?

Part of the reason I am considering containers is that I could initially position the trees closer to the house, where they would provide shade sooner. As their canopies widen, I could move them farther away and eventually plant them in their permanent locations. Is it realistic to keep trees this size in containers for perhaps several years and then plant them in the ground? Would that create major root problems or transplant shock later? I understand that the trees and containers would become extremely heavy and would probably need to be moved with equipment. I am primarily asking whether the plan is horticulturally sound.

5. How quickly might the canopy widen in San Diego?

The trees are tall but currently fairly narrow ( a few feet). Roughly how many years might it take for a nursery-grown Little Gem of this size to develop a canopy around 6–8 feet wide in the San Diego area (in ground or otherwise)? My location is 9211, approximately 2 miles from the coast, and the proposed location receives direct sun basically all day as the sun crosses the sky.

6. How should I prep the "Clairemont clay" if I do plant them in the ground immediately? I know they need drainage so they don't rot in their own juices.

7. Most importantly, if this isn't the right option (even after all of the research and sunk cost), does someone have a better option that is plant-based? I am thinking maybe it is to plant them in the yard, but use a long planter next to the windows until the trees get big enough to do their job. Or, don't plant them in the yard at all and do something else.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I cannot keep mint alive in the SFV.

Does anyone know what this is? I’m considering cypresses for a privacy hedge but this plant interests me. It’s about 10ft tall.

First photo was taken April 13. Other two today 7/7

I planted this guy in the ground ( very wet, but also very sunny climate) HPP Hawai’i. About a mile from the ocean.
When it does rain for a week I’ll water deeply. Aged Chicken manure compost every 3 weeks. That’s about it. I spray neem oil maybe once a month.

It was a nice lush green then, All the new growth shot out the past 2 months, and she had maybe 30 flowers I was told to take off so it could focus on its roots( which I regret now) .. should I? I left two on, that are both growing pretty thick now. Then slowly over the coarse of the last few weeks this yellowing has really start to come on. Maybe it’s getting drowned out. Not sure. Thank you!