Resist the urge to prune, plant beans, train vines

1 Restrain yourself: Sometimes knowing what to do in the garden means doing nothing. Three species of hydrangeas are available in the nursery trade, and the two most commonly grown should not be pruned now, no matter how ragged they may look. The reason is flower buds on these species are formed in summer and fall after blooms from the current year's growth have faded. Thus, if you prune the plants now (other than taking off last year's wilted flowers) you will remove flower buds and have to wait another year for more blooms. The two hydrangea species you do not want to prune now are bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia). The former features the familiar mop head and lace cap types, while the latter are rangy plants with conical flower heads. The species that should be pruned now — to whatever extent you wish — is panicle (Hydrangea paniculata). It puts on explosive growth in the spring when its flower buds are formed.

2 Plant fava beans: They have a reputation for being the tastiest of all beans, produce prolifically and reach a height of 7feet. Their black and white flowers are handsome and self-pollinating, although bees may pollinate them too. Before they can be eaten, fava beans need to be blanched, which involves boiling water as salty as the ocean. Drop your fava beans into the briny brew, cook for one minute and drain. Next, submerge your beans in ice water and let them cool for five minutes. You can now easily remove the beans from their husks, at which point you can eat them as is, sauté or marinate them, or turn them into puree. Some people have a rare condition known as favism and experience a severe allergic reaction after eating fava beans, so be aware before tasting or offering to guests.

3 Berries forever: Strawberry season is every season in this part of the world. By selecting day-neutral varieties such as Seascape and Albion, which are indifferent to day length where flower and fruit production are concerned, you can harvest strawberries all year long. This is one of many tips for growing this precious fruit that you will find in “The Strawberry Story: How to Grow Great Berries Yearround in Southern California,” by Julie Bawden-Davis. She advises exposing your strawberries to at least six daily hours of sun. It is imperative that soil drains well, which is an excellent argument for growing strawberries in raised beds or large containers where you bring in the designer soil of your choice. She uses a Dr. Earth soil mix while adding pumice for superior drainage. Strawberries prefer a somewhat acidic pH so if you are growing them in the ground, add sulfur to the soil. Because of their susceptibility to Verticillium fungus, they should not be planted in soil where solanaceous crops — tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant or peppers — grew within the past four years. She recommends fertilizing every three months with an organic product low in nitrogen to avoid leafy growth at the expense of fruit growth.

4 Be off to a grape start: This is the time of year to prune grapevines. But first, let's talk about training a grapevine (see gregalder.com for details). The first year a grapevine is planted, no pruning is done, since the growth of shoots and leaves provides carbohydrate that is sent down to develop a strong root system. However, it is wise to select a particularly vigorous shoot to train up as the trunk. Since you will be growing your vine on a trellis or a fence — which should be no more than 6feet tall for ease of harvest — you will tie up the future trunk with green gardener's tape, making your ties every foot but leaving the final foot untied to prevent constricted growth. When the eventual trunk reaches the top of the fence, bend it to the horizontal and tie it; another shoot will grow out from the bend, to be tied to the horizontal in the opposite direction so you will have two arms, or cordons. The second year, growth that sprouts from the trunk can be directed to form two more cordons to either side, approximately twothirds of the distance from the ground to the top of the vine. The third winter will be the first time to prune in a manner that will be replicated each year after that.

5 More succulents: Propagate succulents from cuttings or offsets. Insert their stems into any well-drained soil and they should root over time. Do not water for the first two weeks after placement so that the ends of the cuttings can callous over. Afterward, water minimally and only when the soil is somewhere between barely moist and bone dry. When it comes to offsets, which are miniature copies of the mother plant that develop around her, gently detach them. These offsets or pups should have some roots attached and transplant easily.