NEW Baked lemon-Dijon chicken thighs with herbs
Spring gets off to rainy start, keeps temperatures cool
Global initiative leads to local landscapes and ways to save
Elk Grove, Orangevale each host information events
El Dorado County master gardeners spotlight these flavorful plants from garden to gourmet
Plenty of sunshine and flowers welcome start of new season
Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society hosts annual show and sale
NEW Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this delicious side dish
Make the most of warm weather; tackle weeds and other spring chores.
Wait until April before putting tender summer transplants in the ground
Patricia Carpenter opens her property for the Early Spring Ramble
Find three days of inspiration, vendors and deals
Preparing for spring and summer, Sacramento County master gardeners host free event
Clubs to offer their expertise, plants and wares; volunteers needed for McKinley Park beautification event
Recipe: Mom’s chili and beans with grated cheese and onions
Spring is almost here (but first, some more rain)
Find unusual plants, garden wares while supporting local vendors and clubs
Master gardeners offer spring workshops in vermiculture
Members-only event features huge selection of water-wise plants; join at the gate
Sacramento Perennial Plant Club event features dozens of vendors at Shepard Center
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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 19
Dress warmly in layers – and get to work:
* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees 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 oil 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.
* 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. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback if pruned now. Save those until summer.)
* 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.
* 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, ranunculus and gladioli 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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