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Learn about firescaping, better protect your home

Free workshop offers advice on fire-wise landscaping renovations

Did you know citrus trees are considered fire-smart plants? Learn about defensible space and  firescaping options April 8.

Did you know citrus trees are considered fire-smart plants? Learn about defensible space and firescaping options April 8. Kathy Morrison

Yes, your landscape can help protect your home against wildfire. It’s not just what you grow, but where.

Find out how during a free in-person workshop, offered by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Placer County.

Set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 8, “Firescaping: Get ahead and slow the spread!” will spotlight the concept of “defensible space” – creating a buffer zone around your home or other structures and surrounding wildland. The one-hour session will be held at Loomis Library, 6050 Library Drive, Loomis.

“There is a way to organize your landscape and maintain your garden that will help create defensible space around your home,” say the master gardeners. “We’ll discuss what the research is telling us about the best practices we can implement in our landscapes to slow the spread of fire while still being able to enjoy a beautiful garden.”

A big difference between firescaping and low-water gardening: Plant choice. Such favorite low-water Mediterranean plants as rosemary burn easily due to the high oil or resin content in their leaves. Evergreen conifers such as pines also may not be fire-wise – even though they may be native. Low-water native grasses tend to burn rapidly.

Among the plants recommended for firescaping: Daylily, butterfly bush, lavender, salvia, coreopsis and ceanothus. Some fruits, too: Citrus and blueberries, for example.

With so much moisture in the soil, this spring will be a good time for landscape renovation; new plants will be quicker to get established. On the down side, all that rain will likely increase fire danger later this year due to lush vegetation in our foothills and wildlands.

Add the master gardeners, “With so many Placer County residents living amongst the wildland interface, the time is now to make a plan for your house and yard to create a firewise landscape.”

For more details: https://pcmg.ucanr.org/.

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For week of March 24:

In between cloud bursts, try to catch up with early spring chores. 

* Attack weeds now! Get them before they flower and go to seed. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout. Aim for 1 inch below the soil line.

* Start preparing vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

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