Telepeer

Turnips can be planted in the fall or just about any time in Southern California

December 12, 2025

Five things to do in the garden this week:

Fruits. Weeping mulberry is a remarkable tree that you may wish to plant this fall or winter in its dormant state. To appreciate it, I urge you to view a short video produced by Michael Dolan, of Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards. To access the video, search “weeping mulberry Burnt Ridge.” In the video, Dolan stands next to a weeping mulberry around five feet tall with a canopy that has expanded laterally to around 10 feet. The branches, all of which touch the ground, have the look of a green waterfall, It is a self-fertile mulberry (Morus alba var. Pendula) that has been producing fruit for 30 years and has never been pruned. Fruit is harvested from June until September. Dolan calls the mulberries it produces “among the sweetest of all fruits,” although, having grown this tree at one time, its fruit did not seem outstandingly sweet. However, this could have to do with soil or climatic differences between Los Angeles and western Washington, where Dolan is located.

Vegetables. Turnips and parsnips may be planted in the fall or, like most root crops in our part of the world, at just about any other time, too. Turnips (Brassica rapa) belong to the cabbage family of vegetables and have the appearance of giant radishes, which are also cabbage family members. Like radishes, they have a peppery taste but are sweeter with a flavor that has been likened to a combination of cabbage and potato. Turnip comes from two words, with “turn” implying “turned as on a lathe,” a reference to its round shape, and “nip” coming from “neep,’ an Old English word for turnip. Turnips are usually eaten raw but may also be cooked, which sweetens their taste and softens their texture considerably. Turnip greens are edible, too. Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are in the carrot family and resemble long white carrots. They are not eaten raw and have a nutty flavor when cooked. “Parsnip” is derived from a Latin word meaning “two-pronged fork,” a tool recommended for digging up root vegetables.

Herbs. White sage (Salvia apiana), a California native, grows just about anywhere as long as it gets full sun and a bare minimum of water, if any. Foliage appears bluish-gray to frosty-white, depending on how the light strikes it at a particular moment. Flowers are lavender purple. White sage is an outstanding stand-alone shrub that can grow as large as 6 feet tall and wide, but is typically half to two-thirds this size at maturity. When its leaves are rubbed, their oils emit an aroma likened to a mix of camphor and rosemary. Unfortunately, white sage has been relentlessly poached in the wild due to its vaunted curative properties and its international reputation for spiritual cleansing when burned as a smudge stick. It is a sacred plant for Native Americans who have been involved in the struggle to protect it in a habitat that stretches from the Mojave Desert to Baja California.

Ground cover: White velvet (Tradescantia sillamontana) is the most drought-tolerant of the wandering plants in this genus, many of which must get some sun protection to thrive. When grown in some shade, white velvet will still flower but will not produce the same white velvety leaf covering as when it receives full sun. Overhead irrigation is fatal to this plant so water it with drip emitters or with a hose attachment, delivering water to the ground around it but never touching its leaves. Its pinkish-violet flowers are an added bonus to its unusal foliage.

Lawn replacement. Kurapia (Lippia nudiflora) has been touted as the ultimate lawn replacement. In a UC Riverside study, 19 types of turf (lawn) grass, along with kurapia, were tested for drought tolerance, and kurapia finished in first place, followed by kikuyu grass. Kurapia received the highest scores on appearance throughout a summer of water deprivation. A significant bonus of growing kurapia, which spreads by stolons or runners but not in an overly aggressive manner, is that it does not exceed one inch in height and never needs to be mowed. It sports white flowers from May to November, but you can mow them off if you demand a solid green look. Kurapia’s drought tolerance is facilitated by a root system that may go down as deep as ten feet.

Orange County Register

News Details

Turnips can be planted in the fall or just about any time in Southern California

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS