Watch master gardeners in action at three locations and learn
The E Dorado master gardeners' Sherwood Demonstration Garden, which includes this charming scene, will be open for visitors both Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. Kathy Morrison
Spring is in full force – and so are local master gardeners.
On Saturday, May 10, master gardeners at demonstration gardens in three counties – Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado – will host Open Gardens, an opportunity for the public to learn by watching. Admission is free and no advance registration is necessary. Just show up – with questions and possibly some samples of puzzling plants or pests. (Photos are good, too.)
From 9 a.m. to noon, the Sacramento County master gardeners will be busy at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, which is now in full bloom. Bring your questions, samples of your problem plants or bagged insects to the “Ask the Master Gardeners” information table. Get one-on-one advice based on the most recent research-based sustainable practices. Learn about berries and grapes. Smell some fragrant herbs.
Special mini-talks are also scheduled at various times and locations:
* 9:45 a.m. in the Lower Arbor: “Rooted for Success – How to Propagate Your Favorite Herbs.”
* 10:15 a.m. in the Kiwi Arbor: “Worm Composting – How to Harvest the Castings.”
* 10:45 a.m. in the WEL Round Patio: “May Beauties in the Water Efficient Landscape – Planting and Maintenance.”
* 11:15 a.m. in the Orchard: “Orchard Irrigation Basics and Demonstration.”
Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks, in Fair Oaks Park.
Details and directions: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-sacramento-county/event/may-open-garden-fohc
On Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, the Placer County master gardeners will be hosting Open Garden at their new Loomis Demonstration Garden at the Loomis Library. The Loomis Demonstration Garden is a living classroom for the Placer County community that emphasizes sustainable gardening, integrated pest management and backyard food production.
Like their Sacramento counterparts, the Placer County master gardeners will answer questions and offer garden advice.
Loomis Library is located at 6050 Library Road, Loomis.
Details and directions: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-placer-county
El Dorado County master gardeners will host Open Garden days not only on Saturday, but on Friday, May 9, too. Their Sherwood Demonstration Garden offers the public a hands-on, interactive experience about research-based, sustainable gardening practices specific to foothill communities. Sherwood includes 16 individual demonstration gardens, ranging from the Shade Garden to the Rock Garden. The gardens will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday. Admission is free; parking, $2.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., the El Dorado County master gardeners also will host a free workshop at Sherwood: “Landscape Grasses.”
“Are you looking for plants that are almost care-free? Virtually deer-proof and pest-free? Join Master Gardeners to learn about Ornamental Grasses and how to incorporate them into a landscape,” say the master gardeners. “Most grasses need very little care and, in fact, thrive on neglect, so they are perfect for even novice gardeners. You will learn which grasses grow best in our area, which ones tolerate shade or sun and how to care for them.”
Participants will see examples at Sherwood, too. Advance registration is not required, but requested. Sign up here: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-el-dorado-county/event/central-sierra-landscape-grasses-edc-mg
Sherwood Demonstration Garden is located at 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville.
Details and directions: https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-el-dorado-county
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
Aug. 25: Crape myrtles, Sacramento's unofficial tree of summer
Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower
Aug. 11: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact
Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower
July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show
July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)
July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy
July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies
June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden
June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners
June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)
June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself
June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude
May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?
May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs
May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power
May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens
May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
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 Aug. 30
Enjoy this mild late-summer weather – and get to work!
* September starts another season in the vegetable garden. Now is the time to plant for fall. The warm soil will get these veggies off to a fast start.
* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.
* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.
* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.
* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies. Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.
Contact Us
Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com
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
Add asparagus to your edible garden
Soggy soil and what to do about it
Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
We don't talk (enough) about beets
Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Enhance your food with edible flowers
Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
How to grow summer salad greens
Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
Help pollinators help your garden
Battling early-season tomato pests
Where are the bees when you need them?
How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
Grow culinary herbs in containers
When to plant summer vegetables
Don't be fooled by these garden myths
Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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