Hibiscus decorates coastal neighborhoods, Native lilies blooming in higher elevations

Colorful Foliage along San Diego’s coastline lingers, despite the lack of rainfall and warmer, drier days. In the older, landscaped neighborhoods of Coronado, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla, you’ll find oleander and hibiscus blooming in many shades and colorful bougainvillea creeping over garden walls. Look for the magnificent clusters of red flowers adorning the crowns of the flame eucalyptus (red-flowering gum) trees.

Native Lilies, such as the Humboldt lily, are blooming this month in widely scattered, moist locations throughout San Diego County’s higher mountains. To find them, take a walk on the Noble Canyon Trail in the Laguna Mountains, or explore the pine woodlands of Palomar Mountain State Park. The large, nodding flowers of the lilies — orange or yellow with brown spots — grow in clusters on stems two to eight feet tall.

July 17 at 11:32 am will be the New Moon. According to the age-old practice of planting by the Moon, the ground is the most fertile the days leading up to and the days following the new Moon. It might be a good time to plant another round of Summer veggies — or your first round, if you live along the coast and have been waiting for the marine layer to burn off.