Bohart Museum hosts afternoon of insect fun
Organize your own local swap for Jan. 28
Sacramento posts impressive rain totals after a series of atmospheric rivers
Get tips on tackling roses, trees, shrubs
Easy and warming, this treat can be tailored to taste
After so much rain, our gardens gets a chance to dry out
Saturated soil can lead to crown and root rots long after the rain has stopped
Free self-guided tour available Jan. 29, rain or shine
Art by Fire hosts annual Seconds Sale at Shepard Center
Sacramento's urban forest took a big hit from storms
Meet shelter pets at Elk Grove nursery on Jan. 14
Applesauce, apple cider and fresh apples for flavor
New year starts out soggy (or worse)
Be prepared for mud while learning about rose care
Learn from the region's master gardeners this month
Sierra Foothills Rose Society hosts free workshop -- and a chili cookoff
Watch for falling trees and branches
Watch out for leaning trunks and sagging branches
Vegetarian tortilla soup is adaptable to all tastes
New year starts soggy, with more rain on the way
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* 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.
* 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 and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* 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.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.