Welcome to mid-summer! I hope you’ve been enjoying the fruit of the season. I know some of you might have been missing some old reliables this year. I wrote a bit about that today.
Joanna Glovinsky runs a local fruit tree pruning and education company called Fruitstitute. She started it in April 2018 with the stated goal of making every Angeleno fruit-tree literate.
Since then, the Montecito Heights-based organization has grown to serve more than 2,000 clients across Los Angeles County. In May, Fruitstitute encountered an unprecedented challenge. All over the region, its clients started emailing with a simple but serious question: “What happened to my trees?”
Joanna Glovinsky of the Fruitstitute cuts fruit at a Farm Party event at Solano Canyon Community Garden.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Local plum, apricot and pluot trees have not produced near their norms this year. In many cases, trees that in years past have been filled with fruit are this year barren.
“In the eight years that we’ve had Fruitstitute, this has definitely never happened before,” Glovinsky said.
On average, the messages have come in at least five times a day, every day, for weeks, Glovinsky said, frequently enough that Fruitstitute decided to devise a standard reply. After enough emails, they penned a newsletter on the subject and sent it to all their subscribers.
“It’s not you,” Glovinsky said in summary. “It’s not us.”
Who, then, is responsible? Blame the heat that climate change has brought us. More specifically, blame our indecisive weather over the last nine months.
Many parts of Los Angeles received more than 7 inches of rain last October and November, which is more than the region had received in those months since 1967.
Greengage plums from Andy’s Orchard and other stone fruit for sale at the Santa Monica Farmers Market in 2019.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
“It looked like it was going to be a great year,” Glovinsky said.
Then we heated up, registering the hottest December through February on record. Sensing that winter was over, fruit trees started flowering. But much of March and April were rather moist and cool, causing concern. No one knew exactly what to expect. It turned out that in many cases, trees simply dropped their flowers, leaving nowhere for fruit to set.
“Winter came back, and all the flowers died,” Glovinsky said.
Some Redditors have reported the same problem in sullen language. One person wrote their plum tree “decided to not produce this year” and wondered if others had made the same choice.
Generally, the issue has not affected local peach trees. Most did not break their dormancy during the winter heat wave and thus did not have flowers to lose during the so-called second winter.
But you can spot the effects of the weird winter weather at local farmers’ markets. Most farmers who sell stone fruit at L.A. farmers’ markets grow in the Central Valley, where the climate’s typical chill hours are better suited for stone fruits. There, too, they had a wet-then-hot winter, although in less extreme fashion than Los Angeles.
At the Atwater Village Farmers’ Market on July 12, farmers reported that most of their fruit was fine, but notably ahead of schedule. G Farms in Exeter harvested plenty of plums and apricots to sell. Among their offerings were ripe August Yummy plums. As you might have guessed, the plums are so named because they typically ripen in August.
Ken’s Top Notch, a prolific grower based in Reedley, Calif., reported that its fruit is also softening sooner than usual. The grower has been recommending customers eat or refrigerate fruit within two days.
Farmers and many seasoned backyard gardeners know that every year is different. No tree or orchard is a guarantee to produce at its peak in any given year. But no one expects a reliable, perfectly pruned tree with pollinators all around to be barren throughout a growing season.
Here’s hoping next year’s harvest will bounce back after our likely El Niño this fall.
Corona Del Mar nursery to host Hummingbird Summer
Through Aug. 23, longtime Orange County plant nursery Roger’s Gardens is hosting what it’s calling Hummingbird Summer. Hummingbirds will be feeding in the display garden, and a curated selection of drought-tolerant and native plants will also be available for perusal. The nursery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Hummingbird Summer event also functions as a fundraiser. Through round-up donations from customers and matches from Roger’s Gardens, more than $20,000 has already been raised for Sea and Sage Audubon Society, the organization’s O.C. chapter.
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Third annual Lavender Festival blooms up the coast
On the next two Saturdays, July 18 and 25, Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm in Lompoc will open to the public from 12-5 p.m. for a free festival celebrating the famed plant. The 8½-acre farm will offer free parking, a local vendor market, live music, classes and demonstrations.
The farm is a mother-son operation established six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. They grow more than 3,000 lavender plants, and this year they have introduced more than 500 dahlias, among other plants. After the festival, the farm will remain open to the public every day but Tuesday through Labor Day weekend.
Upcoming events (July 25 to 31)
July 16
Twilight in the Garden at Mathias Botanical Garden, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Westwood. Enjoy a wine bar and live music at UCLA’s expansive on-campus garden. Tickets are $10. Picnics, organizers say, are encouraged. botgard.ucla.edu
July 17
Workday at Elysian Park, 3:30-5:30 p.m. in Los Angeles. Join Terremoto’s nonprofit arm Test Plot for a volunteer workday at Elysian Park near the West Loop trail peak. instagram.com
July 17
Evening Stroll at the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Fullerton. Enjoy free fruit tastings, beverages, sweets and live music as you stroll through the school’s garden. Tickets are $10, or free for members and children under 12. arboretum.fullerton.edu
July 17
“LA’s Garden” opening reception at Descanso Gardens, 5-7 p.m. in La Cañada Flintridge. A new exhibition opens at the famed garden, tracking its transformation from a native oak woodland to what the garden calls a living museum. Admission is free during the opening reception. descansogardens.org
July 17 and 18
Plumeria Festival at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 4-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Arcadia. The arboretum will host its 12th annual Plumeria Festival over two days. Several talks on growing plumerias will be held, and the festival will also host live music, merch, plant vendors, and food and drinks. Access is included with garden admission, which costs $18 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and $8 for children ages 3 to 12. arboretum.org
July 25
Seedy Saturday at Arlington Garden, 9-11 a.m. in Pasadena. Antonio Sanchez, a longtime native plant nursery manager, will lead a free class on native plant propagation, which will be held at Arlington Garden in Pasadena and hosted by Artemisia Nursery of El Sereno. The class is offered in English, but Spanish translation is available. eventbrite.com
July 26
Herb Walk at California Botanic Garden, 8:30-10:30 a.m. in Claremont. Herbalist William Broen will lead an interactive garden walk with a focus on medicinal and edible plants native to California. The traditional and modern uses of 15 to 25 species will be discussed. Tickets are $30 or $25 for members. calbg.org
July 30
Landscaping for Wildfire Resilience, 6-7:30 p.m. online. Theodore Payne Foundation horticultural educator Erik Blank will suggest strategies for the home garden to enhance wildfire resilience. Blank will also address our region’s native habitats and fire history. theodorepayne.org
July 31
Golden Hour: Music in the Garden at the Norton Simon Museum, 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Pasadena. The museum’s newly renovated sculpture garden hosts a North Indian Ensemble, playing the violin, cello and tabla. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and free for children and students, and museum access is included. nortonsimon.org
What we’re reading
Alonzo Madera picks nectarines to be given away at the farm of Cesar Mora in the Central Valley.
(Gary Kazanjian / For The Times)
In The Times, summer intern Kori McNair looks at how one Central Valley farmer chose to give away 182,000 pounds of nectarines during a legal dispute with a large Los Angeles produce supplier.
The Los Angeles River has become a popular stage for performances of all kinds in recent years. In a Times story, former reporting fellow Jireh Deng examines the river revitalization efforts.
The latest information indicates there is a 97% chance of a “strong” or “very strong” El Niño, the global climate phenomenon, this fall. Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II reports on the possible effects here in Southern California.
