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These hardy orchids thrive outdoors in Sacramento

Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society hosts annual show and sale

See the best of the best local cymbidiums at the annual show and sale of the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society this Saturday.

See the best of the best local cymbidiums at the annual show and sale of the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society this Saturday. Courtesy Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society

After camellias come cymbidiums – maybe Sacramento’s second favorite March bloomer. These hardy outdoor orchids are just coming into spectacular flower, and they last for weeks.

If you love cymbidiums, you’re in luck. Saturday, March 23, the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society is hosting its annual show and sale at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

The show is a chance to see the best of the best local cymbidiums, displayed by club members. If you want to take some plants home, arrive early: The club will offer more than 75 plants – 50-plus standard-size cymbidiums and 25 miniatures, priced at $30 to $75.

But club members expect them to sell out quickly. That’s what happened when they brought 75 plants to the Shepard Spring Sale this past weekend.

“We had such an amazing response on Saturday (March 16) at the Shepard Sale,” the club posted on Facebook. They sold all but one miniature on this first day of the two-day event.

Fortunately, they’re restocked with new plants for the March 23 sale. These plants were grown by a family-run nursery in San Diego County that specializes in cymbidiums, Casa de las Orquideas.

Club members also will offer advice on how to repot cymbidium orchids and how to care for them. They don’t need much: A spot in the afternoon shade and sufficient irrigation.

Cymbidiums, also known as boat orchids, bloom in massive clusters on 3-foot-tall spikes. With a little protection against frost, these orchids thrive in Sacramento’s mild climate. It’s exposure to temperatures below 55 degrees in winter that prompts all those flowers.

See for yourself on Saturday. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

The Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park.

For more details: www.sgaac.org, https://www.facebook.com/sacramentocymbidiums or email SacCymSoc@yahoo.com.

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Garden checklist for week of July 5

Mornings may seem almost cold with temperatures in the 60s before 10 a.m. Wear layers – and give your garden some TLC.

* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

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

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.

* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week. Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.

* If your melons and squash aren’t setting fruit, give the bees a hand. With a small, soft paintbrush, gather some pollen from male flowers, then brush it inside the female flowers, which have a tiny swelling at the base of their petals. (That's the embryo melon or squash.) Within days, that little swelling should start growing.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

* Feed vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

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 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

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