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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2021 9 By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident In October, the Garden Group traveled to Redlands to tour the historic Kimberly Crest mansion. Following an artisan pizza lunch at a downtown Redlands bistro, we drove a short distance to the mansion located on the edge of Pioneer Park. The house was built in 1897 and purchased by the Kimberly family (of Kimberly Clark fame) in 1905. Our knowledgeable guide told us the house was French-chateau style, with Italian Renaissance styled gardens. Our 45-minute tour included the entire 10 rooms on the first floor (the public rooms), and part of the second-floor personal living quarters. At 7,000 square feet, the mansion is defined as a "petite chateau." The public rooms were decorated with beautiful period pieces, absolutely stunning but rather delicate; the upstairs living quarters seemed a lot more comfortable to me. In November, we toured Olive View Ranch in Aguanga, a strikingly scenic 45-minute drive south east of Temecula. The ranch is owned by the Temecula Olive Oil company, and it's where they grow their olives, then press them to create their signature olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We were given a 90 minute walking tour of the olive groves, learning about regenerative agriculture, growing olives, harvest techniques, milling and cold-pressing. This was followed by a tasting of various olive oils and vinegars. After our tour, we had lunch at the Miramonte Winery on the De Portola Wine Trail. The Garden Group plans monthly trips to places of (at least tangential) gardening interest. Contact s.chaparro1@verizon.net if you would like to receive information about upcoming trips. By Cindy Ponce de Leon, Resident Since frosts here are just an occasional thing, keep plantings well hydrated so that when a freeze does happen, plants are more likely to survive. Resist the urge to prune back the damaged frost bitten parts, they may well protect the plant from further damage. Better to prune frost damage in the spring. Place a frost cloth, light colored sheet or other non-plastic covering over plants to protect them. Secure corners with bricks or stones. This will allow sun or rain to come in while keeping frost out. Roses only need occasional watering this month and no fertilizer. They need to harden for the winter. Plant any bare root roses, or trees this month and keep them hydrated. It's also a good time to transplant or move any plants to another location. Keep as much of the roots as possible and keep well watered if the weather is mild and dry. Finish planting your spring bulbs. Hyacinth, Iris, Ranunculus and Tulips are my favorites. Bring your plumeria indoors if you can. You can plant artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, greens, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, potatoes and radishes now. Fill up a nice basket with gardening catalogs and inspirational magazines and place it near your favorite chair. Sip some spiked coffee or wonderful tea and enjoy the holidays while dreaming of your abundant spring blossoms to come! Out & About with the Garden Group GARDENING IN DECEMBER

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