Workshops, plant sales and open gardens offered all over the region
![]() |
Irises are among the types of plants that will
be for sale during the many April events. April 23-24
are the dates for the Sacramento Iris Society's show and sale.(Photo: Kathy Morrison) |
While we figure out what the weather is going to do the rest of the month, and where the tomatoes are going to go in this year, we can take a few minutes to note some big dates on our gardening calendars. The season, especially April, is going to be very, very busy, as the Sacramento region anticipates its first mostly normal spring in three years. Most but not all of these events involve weekends.
We'll have more on the April events as they get closer, but consider this your "save the date" notice.
-- "Planning Your Vegetable Garden" workshop, in person at the Loomis Library but viewable via Zoom. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Presented by the UCCE Placer County master gardeners. Registration required for Zoom viewing. Register here .
-- "Back to Basics" workshop, 9 a.m. to noon, El Dorado Hills Library, 7455 Silva Valley Pkwy, El Dorado Hills. Presented by the UCCE El Dorado County master gardeners. Recommended for novice gardeners. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/
-- Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society Show. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.
-- Spring Plant Sale, Yolo County master gardeners. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road. Tomatoes, herbs and perennials among the plants for sale. Details at https://yolomg.ucanr.edu/ , including a link to the plant list. Repeated same time and location on April 9.
-- Capital City African Violet Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.
-- Spring Garden Faire, Placer County master gardeners. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Maidu Community Center 1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville, rain or shine. Talks, workshops, crafts, food trucks, plant vendors, door prizes and more are planned. Details here.
-- Member Appreciation Plant Sale, UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In a departure from past sales, this in-person sale is only for members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, but it's easy to join. Repeated April 30. https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales
-- Spring Plant Sale, Yolo County master gardeners. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodland Community College, 2300 E. Gibson Road. Same as April 2 sale; see above.
-- American Bonsai Association Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.
-- Plant Sale, El Dorado County master gardeners. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This first of two spring sales will cover "edibles." (Second sale is April 30.) Sherwood Demonstration Garden, Placerville. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/
-- Sacramento Iris Society Show and Sale. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.
-- Sacramento Rose Society Show and Sale, noon to 5 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, East Sacramento.
-- Member Appreciation Plant Sale, UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In a departure from past sales, this in-person sale is only for members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum, but it's easy to join. Last of two spring sales. https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant-sales
-- Plant Sale, El Dorado County master gardeners. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Second of two spring sales will feature trees, shrubs, succulents, native and perennial plants. Sherwood Demonstration Garden, Placerville. https://mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 18
Get outside early in the morning while temperatures are still cool – and get to work!
* 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. 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.
* Are birds picking your fruit off trees before it’s ripe? Try hanging strips of aluminum foil on tree branches. The shiny, dangling strips help deter birds from making themselves at home.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.