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Arrington, 'Garden Smart' win national award

Water-wise publication will be back in local nurseries soon

Cover of Garden Smart publication
This is the cover of Debbie's award-winning
special publication. Look for it to return to
nurseries and other sites soon.

If you don’t toot your own horn, who will? And this is a big deal: I’m a national award-winning garden writer – again.

GardenComm: Garden Communicators International (a.k.a. the national garden writers association) announced its 2022 Media Awards and I won the Silver Medal of Achievement for Best Garden Marketing Publication. The award is for my work on “Garden Smart,” a special publication that was distributed at several local nurseries last fall. This is my fourth GardenComm Media Award, but first since 2018.

And here’s more big news: “Garden Smart” will be available in print again soon.

Besides my role as co-founder/co-producer of Sacramento Digs Gardening, I’m publications editor for N&R Publications (the Sacramento News & Review people). Last year, we produced “Garden Smart” for the Regional Water Authority, the umbrella organization over our local water providers. The 16-page glossy magazine showed how to create a beautiful stress-free Sacramento-area landscape while saving time, money and water.

Read it here: https://issuu.com/news_review/docs/garden_rgb?e=2059002/87339442

“Garden Smart” was distributed at local nursery partners including Green Acres Nursery & Supply, High Hand, Big Oak, Elderberry Farms, El Dorado, Fair Oaks Boulevard, Goude’s, Talini’s, The Plant Foundry, The Secret Garden and Thompson Building Materials & Nursery. Anderson’s Sierra Pipe Company, SiteOne Landscape Supply and Normac Irrigation also were partners. More than 10,000 copies were snatched up quickly at those locations.

Why mess with success? The Regional Water Authority has done a reprint of “Garden Smart,” and it will be back at the publication’s nursery partners soon – probably in late August.

As for the award, here’s more information from the official announcement: “Top honors in its category, this national award recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. The 2022 competition had more than 165 entries in 67 categories. Recipients of the Silver Medal represent the best in their category and will now compete for Gold Medals in their category.”

“The GardenComm Media Awards showcase writers, photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, publishers, and trade companies that have demonstrated excellence in garden communications in print or electronic communications,” says Maria Zampini, president of GardenComm.

The full list of winners will be available on the GardenComm website following the 2022 Annual Honors and Awards virtual event at 11:30 a.m. PDT Oct. 15. Learn more at www.gardencomm.org .

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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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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