Robert Smaus on Winter

January 8, 2019 Sue Martin

Though for a gardener the days are impossibly short, I like whatever winter we get in Southern California. Indeed, I look forward to the season and savor every minute. Not all do. Many moved here to leave winter behind, and television weather personalities always seem to moan about the cold or the wet. But gardeners should love winter, for every drop of rain, for every degree of cold and for the peace and quiet that descends like a blanket of snow on even the Southern California garden. The crisp, clear mornings are precious times when the sounds of distant freeways are muted by the cold and the garden is so still it seems asleep. But in California it’s only dozing and not for long. While the cold slows growth and stops flowering, winter rains keep plants growing and incredibly green and spring comes quickly, often by the middle of February.

52 Weeks in the California Garden, page 63

Robert Smaus was the garden editor for the Los Angeles Times until his retirement and previously wrote about gardens for Sunset Magazine. The above excerpt is from his book 52 Weeks in the California Garden

Available on Amazon and abebooks.com

Robert Smaus was my SoCal garden mentor through his articles in the LA Times and his book. His practical advice proffered in memorable prose was a weekly highlight for seventeen years.

Read some LA Times garden articles by Robert Smaus here or Google for others.

Addendum 2020: I reread 52 Weeks in the California Garden last year, month by month. Though some of his advice reflects the sensibilities and knowledge of the early 1990’s, I still picked up many garden pearls. I long for a rewrite for 2020, but alas, he now lives and gardens in the Pacific Northwest.