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
Lemon and coconut work beautifully in corn cakes
Alchemist CDC offers two free workshops in Sacramento
Yolo master gardeners also offer in-person workshop
Green Acres hosts special event Saturday at five locations
'Old Traditions ... New Creations' showcases fiber arts
Sacramento master gardeners host Open Garden Day on Saturday
Recipe: Baking and experimenting with fresh citrus fruit
February looks normal (so far); chilly and a little damp
Planning, planting workshops and videos from the area's master gardeners
Sacramento Valley Conservancy opens trails on Saturdays
Sacramento's February weather outlook looks good for gardening
Huge show features full schedule of garden seminars
Help trees and shrubs grow their best with timely cuts
Ripe limes, lemons become breakfast treat -- no canning required
Frost reminds us: It’s still winter
Lost trees will be replaced by climate-ready alternatives
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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 5
Take advantage of this break between storm systems to give your garden some much-needed TLC.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback. Save them until summer.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees soon after a rain to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based fungicide to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. (The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.)
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranuculous and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.
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