'Yuletide' brightens holidays, feeds hummingbirds with December blooms
Feathered friends need food help in winter
Northern California winter forecast is for rain but not too cold
Don't cut the plant back while weather is still cold
Damp weather has kicked some fungal diseases into high gear
Pears contrast with tart cranberries
Pre-Christmas week looks chilly but dry
Learn rose care while helping at this landmark site
These are practical and useful all year
Tips for selecting healthy holiday plants
Rainfall has been good in December, but it's over for now
Crown rot revealed by wind gust during storm
Fruity winter salad with maple-mustard vinaigrette
Be prepared for lots of rain, wind and frost
Learn how to buy and care for the tropical flowers
Healthy soil is crucial for our plants and our environment
Get to work on trimming bushes and coaxing dormancy
A striking coleus and a mini kabocha among the award winners
Come meet (and take home) shelter pups at Roseville site
A Sunday recipe for a cold winter day
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 17
Expect the coming storms to knock down an enormous amount of leaves. Grab a rake and get to work!
* 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.
* Use some of those nice fall leaves as mulch around shrubs and trees or in the vegetable garden.
* 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.
* 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 and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, 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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