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Water-wise workshop at Garden on Eden

Buckwalter leads free event at Carmichael demonstration garden


Manzanita bush
This Vine Hill manzanita ( Arctostaphylos densiflora ) 'Howard McMinn' is a popular low-water cultivar of a California native shrub. Learn about others as part of a free workshop Thursday. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Thinking about a water-wise makeover? Learn how simple steps can add up to big savings – and a more beautiful, easy-care garden – during a special workshop led by one of Sacramento’s leading water-wise landscaping experts.

Join award-winning landscape designer Cheryl Buckwalter of Landscape Liaisons for “Conservation in the Garden,” a free one-hour workshop and tour at noon Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Garden on Eden, 4900 Eden Court, Carmichael.

The Garden on Eden is the cleverly named low water-use demonstration garden of the Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD), which is also hosting this event.

Participants will learn about: different types of water-efficient landscape designs; beautiful water-wise native plants; sprinkler system upgrades; proper tree care; and more.

Buckwalter also will answer questions about planting and maintaining a water-wise landscape, plant selection, lawn conversion and other topics. Fall is the best time to start such water-wise makeovers.

Serving as the site of the tour and workshop, the Garden on Eden is a makeover success story. The flower-filled and colorful water-wise landscape replaced a former lawn in 2018.

“This landscape is considered to have multiple benefits because it was designed to provide year-round color and beauty, minimize the work needed to maintain it, and minimize the water needed to irrigate it,” according to the water district. “The previous landscape of cool-season turf grass and inefficient sprinklers had a water requirement of 125,829 gallons per year. This landscape, with its low and very-low-water plants and efficient drip system, will only need 33,113 gallons per year, once established.”

See for yourself and start saving, too.

Details: 916-972-7171 or
www.sswd.org .




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Garden checklist for week of May 31

Remember to water early. No more rain is in the immediate forecast.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the early hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

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Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

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