Dozens of plant and crafts clubs offer plants, books, jewelry, artwork and more
Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival returns Oct. 5 and 6
New! Toasted coconut, mustard seeds and nuts provide crunch
After September heat, October starts out with triple digits
UC Davis Arboretum celebrates 50 years of fall plant sales.
Water-wise gardening, lavender crafts, fascinating insects and a river habitat celebration
All seven locations will offer seasonal family fun, garden workshops
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
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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Garden Checklist for week of Dec. 15
Get outside early this week to check on your garden and take care of issues before the rain starts up again:
* Between showers this week, take advantage of soft soil; it’s not too late to plant cool-season annuals. But be careful of soggy ground; it can compact easily. Soggy soil also will rot newly planted bulbs. Wait until the soil is moist but not dripping wet.
* Rake leaves away from storm drains and gutters. Recycle those leaves as mulch or add to compost.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location; bring them inside at night or if there’s rain. (They don’t like cold, wet weather.)
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Trees and shrubs can be planted now, especially bare-root varieties such as fruit trees or rose bushes. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from winter rains.
* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.