Yolo master gardeners also offer in-person workshop
Green Acres hosts special event Saturday at five locations
'Old Traditions ... New Creations' showcases fiber arts
Sacramento master gardeners host Open Garden Day on Saturday
Recipe: Baking and experimenting with fresh citrus fruit
February looks normal (so far); chilly and a little damp
Planning, planting workshops and videos from the area's master gardeners
Sacramento Valley Conservancy opens trails on Saturdays
Sacramento's February weather outlook looks good for gardening
Huge show features full schedule of garden seminars
Help trees and shrubs grow their best with timely cuts
Ripe limes, lemons become breakfast treat -- no canning required
Frost reminds us: It’s still winter
Lost trees will be replaced by climate-ready alternatives
Rain, cold can send ants indoors
Warmer weather brings out rapid rose growth
Hands-on opportunity uses bounty of estate's flower-filled gardens
Citrus Heights nursery location holds celebration of indoor jungles
In-season Meyers are sweeter, ideal for baking
Chilly nights follow clear days; watch for frost
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 24
In between rainy episodes this week:
* Keep your gutters and storm drains cleared. Watch out for leaning trees or weakened branches; if you spot trouble, call an arborist.
* Remember to turn off the sprinklers or other irrigation. Be careful walking on or working with wet soil; it can compact easily.
* On rainy days, do some indoor gardening. Tend to houseplants. Sort seed packets. Start seed indoors for cool-season veggies and flowers.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Rake and compost leaves, but leave at least some healthy leaves in planting beds for nesting insects and foraging birds. But dispose of any diseased plant material. For eample, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* If you decide to use a living Christmas tree this year, keep it outside in a sunny location until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* After they bloom, chrysanthemums should be trimmed to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. If in pots, keep the mums in their containers until next spring. Then they can be planted in the ground, if desired, or repotted.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers such as California poppies and plant spring bloomers such as as sweet peas, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.