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It's lavender-picking time at Maple Rock



Lavender will be available for picking June 15 at Maple Rock Gardens, but watch for bees. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Famous gardens open gates to public for flower harvest

Acres of lavender are in bloom at Maple Rock Gardens, which means it’s time for harvest.

Tickets are now on sale for “Lavender Picking at Maple Rock Gardens,” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15. This special pop-up event includes a chance to roam Maple Rock’s famous private gardens and picnic in the garden “rooms” or under the apple trees as well as cut bountiful bouquets of fragrant lavender.

Lavender fields forever at Maple Rock Gardens.
After so much spring rain, the lavender is particularly abundant and at its peak of bloom. (Remember: You’ll be working the fields along with the bees.) Besides gathering lavender, this offers a great photo opportunity in one of Northern California’s most beautiful private gardens. The home of High-Hand Nursery owner Scott Paris, Maple Rock covers about 30 acres.

Admission is $15; parking is free. Children age 12 or younger admitted free. Well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome. Tickets are available online as well as at the gate.

Bring your own clippers (gloves are good, too), something to carry your lavender in and a picnic lunch. Available for sale will be Maple Rock honey, lavender cookies and lavender lemonade.

Maple Rock is located on Highway 193 at Clark Tunnel Road in Penryn. For directions:
https://bit.ly/2QLVjK9

For advance tickets or more details, go to www.highhand.com .


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Garden Checklist for week of April 20

Before possible showers at the end of the week, take advantage of all this nice sunshine – and get to work!

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Give shrubs and trees a dose of a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

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