Green Acres watering seminars cover drip conversions, technology upgrades and more
With 100-degree days coming soon, these tips will save your plants
Sherwood hosts Open Garden Days; guided tour Saturday
Bread is a greatest hit from the early days of the blog
June ends with a warming trend; triple digits coming soon
Pollinator Week celebrates and supports these crucial workers
At Shepard Center, Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society offers beautiful plants grown by members
Vegetables and flowers benefit from cooler than average temperatures.
Find great bargains on art and craft supplies, and learn to tie-dye naturally
Amador Flower Farm celebrates peak of season with special event.
NEW Roasted purple potatoes with Provencal herbs
Windy conditions will keep temperatures below average during last days of spring.
Cold spring weather created challenges; how to get your roses looking their best
Bring questions for the master gardeners during morning event
Learn how at free garden talks at all seven Green Acres
Open Farm Days feature the flowering herb at peak of bloom
Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society hosts 53rd annual show and sale at Shepard Center.
NEW Blueberry-lemon coffee cake with streusel topping.
Coolish June weather continues but watch out for threat of thunderstorms.
Don't make a home for disease-carrying pests; take precautions
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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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.