Calendars, clothes pins and memberships are top suggestions
Either of these master gardener-created gardening guides/calendars make a great gift. The seeds? Perfect for stocking gifts. Kathy Morrison
With less than a week until Christmas, crunch time is here for anyone choosing gifts. Still need a few small stocking goodies? Want to find a gift for that kind neighbor with the colorful garden? If you have a gardener among friends or family members, I have these can't-miss suggestions:
A gift you can walk in and buy right now:
-- Either Gardening Guide and Calendar produced by two area UC master gardener groups is, right off, my top choice for any area gardener. The Sacramento County version is best for those in the Sacramento area or flatlands of the Central Valley. The 2025 theme covers things gardeners are "Passionate About," such as succulents, fragrant plants or gardening with kids.
The Placer County master gardeners also have an excellent guide/calendar, aimed more at gardening in the foothills. "Healthy Garden, Healthy You" is the theme, and the price is $12. Find it at more than two dozen retailers in Placer and El Dorado counties; the link to the full list is here. Online and mail orders also are accepted.
Sacramento's also is $12 and can be found at several nurseries: The Plant Foundry, Emigh Hardware, Talini's and the four Green Acres in the county, plus the Wild Birds and Gardens store. (Call first to make sure a particular store still has it in stock.) It also can be ordered online here; postage is extra.
Great little stocking gifts:
-- Seeds, but not just any seeds. Look for seeds from Hedgerow Farms, now carried at Green Acres stores. These seeds are grown in Winters, at a farm that provides California native plant seed for large-scale conservation and habitat restoration projects around the state. The retail seeds are a side business. My choice: The Central Valley wildflower mix, but they also have native milkweed seeds (showy and narrow-leaf), tidy tips, blue-eyed grass, lacy phacelia and more. Prices are 99 cents to $4.95.
-- Wooden clothes pins. Check the local hardware store or some big-box stores for these. Usually in a pack of 36. Endlessly useful in the garden, as fertilizer or soil bag clips, trellis assistance, shade cloth clips and even plant markers. The wooden ones last much longer than plastic ones.
A gift for the whole year, easily purchased online:
-- Membership in the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. The Arboretum is a regional treasure, with its acres of native and other plants, quiet spaces to observe nature, and a top-notch Teaching Nursery. Members get deals on the fall and spring plant sales in addition to supporting all the good work that goes into maintaining the Arboretum. Plus, members get discounts and free admissions to gardens throughout North America, and discounts on purchases at select nurseries and online retailers.
For gift memberships, check this page. Individual memberships start at $48, and $72 for a family. The main Friends membership page is here.
(Psst: The spring plant sale dates have been announced! Mark your calendar for March 8, April 6, April 26 and May 10.)
Happy holidays!
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums
March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses
Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?
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Garden checklist for week of April 19
After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!
* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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