New! Grilled apricot and feta salad with balsamic vinaigrette
July starts red hot; be prepared for record heat, high fire danger
Weather service declares 'Excessive Heat Watch' for Sacramento region
The ubiquitous tree gives summer landscapes some pop
How to replace turf, prepare soil for future planting
Learn how to create a bioactive terrarium to take home
El Dorado County master gardeners offer free workshop with strategies for bountiful success
New! Easy fruit creation's worth a little oven time
Some like it hot; you’ll find out in your garden this week
Triple-digit temperatures can affect pollination, tomato development
Ideas for gardeners to revel in the long days and cool nights
Make a container garden to celebrate July Fourth
Shepard Center showcases art of Japanese flower arranging
Amador Flower Farm hosts annual Daylily Days with tram tours and barbecue
Recipe: Fresh raspberry fool with a rosy twist
Red Flag Warning signals dry conditions, high fire danger
Placer County master gardeners show how to attract more beneficial insects, birds and bats (yes, bats) to your landscape.
Green Acres presents a free talk on ‘pollinator buffets’ Saturday
Sacramento County master gardeners invite public to watch and learn at free event.
After successful fight against Oriental fruit fly, Sacramento County now battles Japanese beetles, which were discovered in Carmichael.
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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.