After oak falls on her house, Auburn teacher turns once-shady space into pollinator paradise
Mazes, pumpkin patch, free tram tours plus gardening experts
New! End-of-summer squash in a side dish or appetizer
Fall gets off to a hot start; it’s time to plant for cool weather ahead
Placer County master gardeners will sell new information-packed calendar at Auburn Home and Harvest Fest
CNPS chapter holds Sept. 21-22 sale with pick-up later
Participate in national Roses in Review survey
Street Festival takes over Capitol Mall; The Village Feast returns to Davis Central Park
Elk Grove landscape designer shows how to use native plants to create bird- and bee-friendly gardens
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition
Coming soon: Much cooler temperatures with possibility of rain
Demonstration garden in Loomis hosts open house, workshop
Sacramento master gardeners will be available for questions, tips during Open Garden
The Secret Garden celebrates with two weekends of family fun
Green Acres hosts veggie talks plus a houseplant pot-up event
Delta society hosts annual show and sale of African violets, gesneriads and rare bloomers
New! Very Berry Syrup mixes strawberries, blueberries, blackberries -- or whatever you have
This week could be the perfect time to plant for fall, winter
Triple-digit heat again challenges tomatoes, squash
Yolo County master gardeners' monthly talk looks to fall
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.