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8 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | DECEMBER 2025 | Winter is Time to Plant Herbs and California Natives Early winter is a good time to familiarize yourself with local nurseries and their selections of native plants. California natives grow naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human intervention. Natives have evolved to thrive in the California climate. Native plants support more life in a landscape because they have evolved with microbes, fungi, insects and animals of this place. As a special bonus, native plants use far less water than non-native plants. While Hemet is in planting zone 19, your yard may have different microclimates, for instance, shady areas vs. sunny areas of your yard. So be careful with your plant selections. A couple of good native plants that thrive in Hemet are Cleaveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii) with a purple f lower, and the California Fuchsia (Epilobium species) which has a red trumpet like f lower. These plants both take full sun. Early winter is also the perfect time to plant herbs in your garden, if you haven't already. If you're planning to make more plants from the ones you have, dividing and transplanting plants is best done at dusk when the heat of the day is gone. This helps lessen the stress on your new transplants. An Update on the Citrus Greening Disease While you may be aware that Huanglongbing (HLB) also known as Citrus Greening disease is in Riverside County, Hemet is now a part of the citrus quarantine area. This means that you can't transport citrus fruit or young trees outside of Hemet. The disease is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid. The adult insect is the size of a grain of rice and eats the underside of the leaves of the citrus tree. For any citrus grower, it's a good idea to use a systemic pesticide such as BioAdvanced Fruit, Citrus, and Vegetable Insect Control Concentrate to counteract psyllids, leaf miners and other bugs that harm citrus trees. This won't "cure" greening disease, but it can help to prevent the psyllid from infecting the tree. You only need to apply it once per year, after you see evidence of a pest. You can purchase this pesticide at Lowes and Home Depot. If you think you have the Asian citrus psyllid on your citrus tree, call the California Dept of Food and Agriculture hotline at 800- 491-1899. By allowing the Department official access to your yard, you can safeguard against the spread of this deadly citrus disease. Landscape Committee Our committee is made up of 13 dedicated members, whom on average volunteer five hours each month. We draw from each member's background and experiences to solve sometimes challenging projects and repairs to the facilities of our community. We currently have one opening on our committee. If you would like to join our team, please pick up a member application at the Lodge front desk. Here are several projects we are currently working on and/or have completed this year: • Replacing ballroom carpet • Street Asphalt schedule for replace and repair • Swimming pool acid wash and repairs • Sports Courts resurfacing • Replaced Bollard Solar Lights along the pathway just east of the sports courts In closing, I would like to thank the management team from FirstService Residential, the volunteer leadership team, and committee members. We are committed to keeping our community the premier independent living residential community in our valley. ~ Leonard Gleason, Member Facilities Committee California Fuchsia – a native plant that thrives in sunny Hemet. Citrus greening disease causes uneven yellowing in citrus leaves because nutrients are being restricted.

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