 Words, photos (unless otherwise noted) and art by Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! March 2025.
There Are So Many Things to Do in March in Our Gardens...
If you have a Mediterranean garden and lavender is growing in your beds, this is the time of year that those beautiful little new shoots of growth start forming. I love the early French and English lavender. They smell so sweet and it’s so much fun to make lavender wands or just cut fresh lavender and put it in the house tied with a ribbon around it.
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As I said in my column last month, I am being proactive by having a system fabricated to water my roof from the swimming pool in case of a catastrophic fire situation and I must evacuate.
Sam with Teknia Landscape did the research and he is fabricating a system for me.
(Here is his email and phone number in case you are interested in looking into having him build a system for you. Teknialandscape@hotmail.com 858 204 3911. If you are interested, just reference my article when you contact him.)
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There will be sprinklers that are always on top of my roof. Sam will come check it out once a year to make sure it’s working properly and hopefully it never has to be used. There is also a Zoom meeting with the Fire Council in my town for a fire preparedness seminar.
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Thank heavens we had that rain a couple of weeks ago and we’re supposed to get rain again on Sunday, but being prepared is a great thing for if a situation presents itself.
In February’s article I mentioned how the gardeners were pruning and cutting down trees close to the house that I felt could be dangerous. I had neighbors walk by, not knowing what was different, but they appreciated the way the house looked. We all love greenery and foliage, but it made me feel good that others had positive comments about the changes. The house shows more now, and it looks beautiful.
What’s important is being proactive for the safety of our homes in the event of a firestorm. I hope it never happens, but I’m very grateful to Sam for building a system to save my home in the event that I need to use it. If and when water is needed, part of the system will be dropped into the swimming pool and then it will be turned on to water continuously by taking the water from the pool and sprinkling it on the roof until the fire danger has passed.
Enjoy March and working in your gardens, communing with nature, and eating outdoors.
Live the life you envision!
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Happy Gardening!
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~Francesca
Artist, author, photographer, fly-fisher woman, Francesca Filanc grew up in old Del Mar and these days lives, paints and gardens in historic Olivenhain with her two dogs.
Find her art and writings here:
She can be found on social media:
Have gardening questions or want to learn more about Francie’s art? Contact: Franfilanc@gmail.com
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