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Take a summer ramble through a garden of California natives

Patricia Carpenter welcomes visitors to her garden Sunday, Aug. 4

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED JUL 25, 2024

Spiders are especially evident in July gardens. This western spotted orbweaver was photographed at Patricia Carpenter's native plant garden. Courtesy Beth Savidge via Patricia Carpenter

Tour a native garden in summer? Why?

"I am sure there are some out there who think I am crazy having a summer ramble-- it's hot," says Patricia Carpenter, the CNPS Ambassador who seasonally welcomes visitors to her garden near Davis. But she has her reasons, grounded in education.

"I really think it is important to see native gardens in summer and contrast them with non-native gardens."

She adds, "The desert area is the highlight of our summer native garden!"

Carpenter's Summer Seasonal Native Garden Ramble happens Sunday, Aug. 4, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Admission is free for the self-guided tour but registration is required here. Visitors may start the tour any time during those hours.

The Carpenter native garden covers an acre west of Davis along a slough, west of Pierce Ranch Road south of Russell Boulevard. Carpenter started the garden in 2005, and it now features about 400 species and cultivars of California native plants.

Highlights of high summer at the site include viewing summer blooms, seeing how plants adapt to heat and drought, observing seasonal maintenance and seed collecting, and examining irrigation strategies.

Carpenter will offer an optional short orientation and Q&A session at 8 a.m. and again at 9:30 a.m. Those interested should meet at the check-in table.

Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, and are welcome to bring lunch or a snack (and bring water). No dogs allowed. The site has a composting toilet.

To view Carpenter's California Native Plant Society Ambassador profile, as well as see a map and read more about her garden, go here. Her non-native garden also will be open to visitors that day, offering the contrast that she mentioned.

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Keywords:

California natives native plants garden tour Davis Yolo County California Native Plant Society Sacramento gardening CNPS desert plants spiders

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Oct. 6: Hummingbirds love California fuchsia

Sept. 29: Pineapple sage is a fall bright spot

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June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

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March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

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Garden checklist for week of Oct. 4

* October is the best month to plant perennials in our area. Add a little well-aged compost and bone meal to the planting hole, but hold off on other fertilizers until spring. Keep the transplants well-watered (but not wet) for the first month as they become settled.

* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.

* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas. Plant garlic and onions.

* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.

* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.

* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.

* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.

* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.

* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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