Learn about all things lavender including how to make it thrive
New! Ricotta the secret ingredient to these baked treats
Plant now as month of May ends with warming trend .
Be prepared for quick fixes and managing garden info
Rain totals add up to something rare for area
Yolo County master gardeners offer free workshop via Zoom.
El Dorado County master gardeners offer advice for growing vegetables, fruit, flowers and more at higher elevations.
Memorial Day Weekend event features thousands of plants on sale at Elk Grove nursery
New! Savory cherry sauce with sweet onions goes great with pork, chicken
Get ready for warm, sunny and breezy days ahead
Layer of wood chips, straw or leaves helps plants cope with summer temperatures
Free event Sunday includes plant sale, botanist's visit
Local clubs offer lots of garden gear plus much more at huge yard sale
Sacramento neighborhood hosts garden tour, plant sale
Carmichael Cactus and Succulent Society hosts 46th annual show and sale
New! Spring asparagus blends well with green garlic
Spring growth gets heat check as Sacramento hits 90-plus
Find bargain prices on 11,000 water-wise perennials, shrubs, trees, succulents, natives and more.
Placer, El Dorado master gardeners also welcome visitors to their sites
Six stunning private gardens, boutique to be open for popular event
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 24
In between rainy episodes this week:
* Keep your gutters and storm drains cleared. Watch out for leaning trees or weakened branches; if you spot trouble, call an arborist.
* Remember to turn off the sprinklers or other irrigation. Be careful walking on or working with wet soil; it can compact easily.
* On rainy days, do some indoor gardening. Tend to houseplants. Sort seed packets. Start seed indoors for cool-season veggies and flowers.
* 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.
* Rake and compost leaves, but leave at least some healthy leaves in planting beds for nesting insects and foraging birds. But dispose of any diseased plant material. For eample, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* If you decide to use a living Christmas tree this year, keep it outside in a sunny location until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* After they bloom, chrysanthemums should be trimmed to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. If in pots, keep the mums in their containers until next spring. Then they can be planted in the ground, if desired, or repotted.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* 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 such as California poppies and plant spring bloomers such as as sweet peas, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* 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.