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Take a late-spring ramble through a garden of native plants

Event near Davis is free but requires registration

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2023

June grass, yarrow and Ithuriel's spear grow in the valley grassland area of Patricia Carpenter's property. Photo courtesy Beth Savidge

Many California natives rest or go dormant in the summer, so May is an excellent time to view native plants still in their spring flush.

This Sunday offers an ideal opportunity, as California Native Plant Society Ambassador Patricia Carpenter opens her garden west of Davis for her Late Spring Seasonal Native Garden Ramble.

Carpenter's 1-acre property, with more than 400 species and cultivars of natives, will be available for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, starting at any time within those hours. The event is free but registration is required. The link to register can be found here. A map and plant list can be found on Carpenter's CNPS profile page.

In addition to viewing late-spring color, visitors will be able to see the many geophytes blooming in the garden. Seasonal maintenance, pruning, seed collecting, and plant propagation also will be in progress.

An optional short orientation and Q&A gathering with Carpenter will be held at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. To participate, meet near the check-in table.

Visitors should bring a sun hat or personal umbrella and a filled water bottle. Toting a lunch or snack is allowed, but no dogs, please.

For more information, email both Patricia Carpenter <pcarpenter.flower@gmail.com> and Maya Argaman <margaman@cnps.org>.

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Oct. 13: Our state flower is oh-so-easy to grow (California poppy)

Oct. 9: Give roses some TLC for great fall bloom

Oct. 6: Hummingbirds love California fuchsia

Sept. 29: Pineapple sage is a fall bright spot

Sepr. 22: Ginger can flourish in Sacramento

Sept. 15: Plant seeds soon for fragrant spring blooms (sweet peas)

Sept. 8: A must for fall gardens, asters are little powerhouses

Sept. 1: Yarrow an easy-care, sturdy flowering plant

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

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March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

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Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

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Garden checklist for week of Oct. 4

* October is the best month to plant perennials in our area. Add a little well-aged compost and bone meal to the planting hole, but hold off on other fertilizers until spring. Keep the transplants well-watered (but not wet) for the first month as they become settled.

* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.

* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas. Plant garlic and onions.

* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.

* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.

* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.

* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.

* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.

* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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