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Tue, Oct 29, 2024

How to grow new plants (without sex)

Master gardeners offer free workshop on 'Asexual Propagation'

Mon, Oct 28, 2024

Attention, holiday shoppers: The Secret Garden hosts big reveal

Elk Grove destination garden shop to hold annual open house

Sun, Oct 27, 2024

Spice up a fall meal with these roasted potatoes

New! Dijon, horseradish and more provide the kick

Sat, Oct 26, 2024

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 27

Last days of October may get a little damp

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Two icons join forces as Peaceful Valley buys Annie's Annuals

Organic nursery giant steps in to save another beloved NorCal seed and plant source.

Thu, Oct 24, 2024

Plant sale Friday benefits great cause at school

Proceeds support Garden Community program at A. Warren McClaskey Adult School

Wed, Oct 23, 2024

Sac Valley CNPS hosts community seed swap

Bring seeds, cuttings to share with others while learning about California native plants

Tue, Oct 22, 2024

Find 20,000-plus water-wise plants at one sale

UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery hosts second fall fundraiser

Mon, Oct 21, 2024

Starthistle workshop tackles bad weed

This invasive plant is toxic to horses; find out ways to control it

Sun, Oct 20, 2024

Easy coffee cake is packed with fresh apples and almonds

Recipe: Apple almond coffee cake with streusel topping

Sat, Oct 19, 2024

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 20

Winds bring high fire danger, low humidity

Fri, Oct 18, 2024

'Fall into Gardening' at Sherwood Demonstration Garden

El Dorado County master gardeners show how during special event

Thu, Oct 17, 2024

Natives, veggies and more at Perennial Plant Club's sale Friday

Find hundreds of plants at one-day event in East Sacramento

Wed, Oct 16, 2024

Art by Fire hosts fall sale at Shepard Center

Huge event features handmade pottery, ceramics, glass and metalwork

Tue, Oct 15, 2024

See best roses of fall at Sierra Foothills show

Public invited to enter their own roses in 60th annual event

Mon, Oct 14, 2024

Got garden questions? Get answers Wednesday

Sacramento County master gardeners host midweek Open Garden

Sun, Oct 13, 2024

The perfect apple scone? This might be it

New! A hint of ginger is optional but delicious

Sat, Oct 12, 2024

Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Oct. 13

After record heat wave, fall weather finally arrives

Fri, Oct 11, 2024

Camellia City Porcelain Artists celebrate 50 years

Fall show and sale features hand-painted items, Christmas ornaments.

Thu, Oct 10, 2024

Why grow a cover crop? Find out Saturday

Workshop held during Placer open garden; El Dorado and Yolo master gardeners also offer classes

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

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Garden Checklist for week of Dec. 29

It's prime pruning weather. After Sunday's rain, get to work!

* 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 a prime time to prune fruit trees. (But not cherry or apricot trees -- they're susceptible to the fungus Eutypa dieback in wet weather; save those for July or August.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.

* 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.

* Prune Christmas camellias (Camellia sasanqua), the early-flowering varieties, after their bloom. They don’t need much, but selective pruning can promote bushiness, upright growth and more bloom next winter. Feed with an acid-type fertilizer. But don’t feed your Japonica camellias until after they finish blooming next month. Feeding while camellias are in bloom may cause them to drop unopened buds.

* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.

* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees soon after a rain 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 fungicide 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.)

* 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 gladiolus 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.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!