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Mark your calendar for new year's first gardening events


Want to watch a master rose pruner at work? The Historic City Cemetery's rose garden will be the site of two Jan. 12 workshops by Stephen Scanniello, known as the "rock star of roses." He's also very entertaining. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Pruning workshops coming soon

Have you started filling in your 2019 calendar yet? (If you don't have one yet, the master gardeners of Sacramento and Placer counties have excellent gardening calendars, which Debbie wrote about
here .)

Today's a busy day for so many of us, but the new year will be here quickly. Some excellent pruning events, for example, are scheduled in January, including:

Saturday, Jan. 5
Annual McKinley Park Prune-athon: 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers prune the dozens of roses in McKinley Park. Open to all. Bring gloves and bypass pruners. Information email: friendsofeastsac@aol.com

Saturday, Jan. 12
Rose Pruning at the Cemetery: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Rose expert Stephen Scanniello returns to Sacramento's Historic Rose Garden to present two workshops. His running narration as he works on roses in the Historic City Cemetery just may be the best (and most entertaining) one-day education on pruning you can find. $10 donation. He also will speak at the Mount Diablo Rose Society on Jan. 9 and the Sacramento Rose Society on Jan. 10. 1000 Broadway, Sacramento. www.cemeteryrose.org

Saturday, Jan. 12
Sierra Foothills Rose Society Winter Rose Care Workshop:  8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (rain or shine). This comprehensive (mostly indoor) free workshop covers the basics of rose care and much more. Watch master rosarian Baldo Villegas prune a rose bush in under three minutes!  Learns the secrets to more rose blooms with less work. The workshop wraps up with a chili cookoff. Public is welcome. Questions? Call Kay Jelten, 916-799- 6005. Maidu Community Center, 1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville.

Saturday, Jan. 19
Open Garden, Featuring Winter Pruning: 9 a.m. to noon.  Free. Sacramento County m aster gardeners will demonstrate winter pruning of deciduous fruit trees, blueberries, cane berries, grape vines and landscape trees. Visitors also can learn how herbs enhance landscapes and how to garden in a small yard. Bring gardening questions to the Ask the Master Gardener table. Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks. Information: sacmg.ucanr.edu

For other events during the first months of 2019, see our Garden Calendar here. Check back soon; we'll update it as more events are scheduled.

Happy holidays!

-- Kathy Morrison

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Garden checklist for week of April 12

After these storms pass, get to work on spring clean-up.

* Weed, weed, weed! Take advantage of soft soil and pull them before they go to seed.

* 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. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant heat-resistant lettuce seedlings.

* Feed roses and other spring-blooming shrubs.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* 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.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds. Avoid "volcano mulching" -- be sure to keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks or the stems of shrubs. This prevents rot and disease.

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Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

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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