What's happening in fall? Our garden calendar has the details

Food grown in your yard, like these peppers, can be ornamental, too. Check out the Edible Gardens Tour in East Sacramento on Sept. 8.

Sacramento-area sales, shows and tours are just ahead

Have you checked our calendar lately? After Labor Day, Sacramento-area gardeners and gardening groups kick into high gear again, taking advantage of the cooler weather in our "second spring."

In September, for example, there's a big plant sale each weekend after Labor Day, starting Sept. 8-9 with the Sacramento Begonia Society's event at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in Sacramento's McKinley Park, 3330 McKinley Blvd. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. More than 1,000 plants will be offered for sale, unique species not found in nurseries.

The next weekend, the African Violet + Gesneriad Show and Plant Sale fills the Shepard Center. The show runs 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16.

Love California native plants? You won't want to miss the plant sale and art market Sept. 22-23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, presented by the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Artists who are inspired by California natives also will be on hand to sell their creations. This sale is also at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Teaching Nursery has many plantings, like this hummingbird sage, to inspire and inform visitors to its plant sales. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

And the month closes out with a big one on Saturday, Sept. 29: the first sale of fall for the UC Davis Arboretum and Teaching Nursery on the UC Davis campus. Members of the arboretum get first crack at the huge variety of plants, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., then the sale opens to the public for two more hours.

Need some planting inspiration?  The Edible Gardens Tour is coming up Sept. 8 in East Sacramento. UCCE master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions at each of the stops on the tour. Buy tickets early and save $5. (Admission is $25 day of event.)

Many other events are coming up, including the first fall meetings of most of the garden and plant clubs. Check out the calendar here . And if your group has an event soon, and you'd like Sacramento Digs Gardening to help spread the word, email us at sacdigsgardening@gmail.com. Thanks!

Kathy Morrison