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Image caption: Pink fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla) is blooming now in her garden, Patricia Carpenter notes.

Featured: Native plant garden open Sunday for rambling and observing

Admission to Yolo garden is free but registration is required

Wed, May 14, 2025

Shop huge selection of succulents, cacti

Carmichael Cactus and Succulent Society hosts 47th annual show and sale.

Tue, May 13, 2025

FIMBY: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

Spend at least a few minutes daily observing -- and responding

Mon, May 12, 2025

Placer master gardeners host 'Giving Day' reception

See Loomis Demonstration Garden in bloom while helping it grow

Sun, May 11, 2025

Cheery quick bread tastes like a bite of springtime

New! Cherry-orange bread with pecans and orange glaze

Sat, May 10, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 11

After early heat, some relief as weather cools

Fri, May 09, 2025

UC Davis Arboretum hosts Spring Clearance Sale

Select from more than 13,000 water-wise plants at bargain prices

Wed, May 07, 2025

Got garden questions? Come to Open Garden

Watch master gardeners in action at three locations and learn

Tue, May 06, 2025

FIMBY: Maintain moisture for garden success

Mulch works magic – and get free mulch at upcoming event

Mon, May 05, 2025

East Sac Garden Tour returns this weekend

Celebrate Mother's Day in style at beloved event in Sacramento's Fabulous Forties

Sun, May 04, 2025

Bright and juicy salsa for spring

New! Strawberry salsa perfect for May celebrations

Sat, May 03, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of May 4

This month, be ready for anything (especially heat)

Fri, May 02, 2025

The Hive hosts its own honey festival

Learn about pollinators, taste honey and mead at Woodland site

Thu, May 01, 2025

Peaceful spot in west Folsom worth a visit

Find inspiration in nature center's native plant landscaping

Wed, Apr 30, 2025

Gardens Gone Native Tour returns Saturday

See more than two dozen private and school gardens featuring California native plants

Tue, Apr 29, 2025

FIMBY: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

Problems this early usually can be fixed -- or there's time to start over

Mon, Apr 28, 2025

Love succulents? Cactus? This Sacramento show, sale is for you

Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society hosts huge three-day event

Sun, Apr 27, 2025

Healthy spring salad is packed with antioxidants

New! Blueberry spinach salad with honey-Dijon vinaigrette

Sat, Apr 26, 2025

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of April 27

April showers bring May flowers – and fungal disease

Fri, Apr 25, 2025

See private gardens galore on these local tours

River Park, Folsom, Curtis Park and Davis destinations in spring spotlight

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of May 11

Make the most of the lower temperatures early in the week. We’ll be back in the 80s by Thursday.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch-to-1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

* Remember to weed! Pull those nasties before they set seed.

* Water early in the day and keep seedlings evenly moist.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!