December is too early to predict a seasonal rainfall total, but since we are starting so dry, in regards to this month’s garden tasks, we should probably plan for a dry year. There is no rain in sight on the long term forecast for the remainder of the year. Just beautiful sunny days, enviable for the rest of the country, and impossible for us, without imported water.

The days are markedly shorter, the nights cooler, and our winter gear can soon make its way into our wardrobes for daily use. Our plants are in transition too, breathing a sigh of relief after those brutal heat waves last summer. Native plants literally spring to new life with the first rains, and fall weather signals them to open their little doors and windows for winter moisture to come in.