March arrives with more cold, damp weather
Weather service says 'expect substantial disruptions to daily life'
Online sale of California natives begins Saturday
Placer County master gardeners offer free pollinator workshop
Overnight lows could reach 29 degrees, kill crops and damage plumbing
Despite winter weather, weekend event should feature hundreds of flowers
The two-in-one vegetable in a frittata variation
February ends on a wet and windy note
Green Acres hosts dog adoption event in Rocklin
Unusual cold weather inspires some meteorological education
Greg Gayton of Green Acres will be featured speaker
Be prepared; forecast calls for freezing temperatures and strong winds
Tomato breeder extraordinaire will share insights, latest varieties
Cheese-topped casserole a delicious winter recipe
Chilly forecast a reminder: It’s still winter
They may be on sale already, but it's not time yet
Got 15 minutes to spare? Join the Great Backyard Bird Count
Flavor of oranges may actually get a boost from 'kiss of cold'
Special event features unique collection and expert advice
Learn about grafting and expand your orchard -- without growing new trees
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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.
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