Plenty of compact varieties available to highest bidders
Sacramento Chrysanthemum Society offers 1,000 plants in 85-plus varieties
NEW! Fresh strawberry-orange salsa with green onions
Chilly storm throws another curve into spring weather
Nation's oldest club of its kind continues tradition
Sunday event also features plant and seed swap, vendors and kid-oriented activities
Gallery combines art and garden appreciation in popular event
Five locations open Saturday with wood chips for local gardens
Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society hosts big event featuring demonstration garden
NEW Upside-down cake features stripes of rhubarb, dots of blueberries
Sunshine follows April showers for a warm end to month
'Gardens of Folsom' spotlights seven private landscapes plus two bonus gardens
Free beekeeping intro in Elk Grove; seed exchange in Folsom
Sacramento Valley CNPS event spotlights wildlife-friendly landscapes
See and smell spring beauties – and take some home, too
Ways to cut down on plastics in your own landscape
NEW Strawberries and cream scones with orange zest
Enjoy the sunshine and get ready for summer crops
Look for new SDG signs with recipe links at all seven nurseries
More native plants means more resources for native insects, pollinators and birds
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 24
In between rainy episodes this week:
* Keep your gutters and storm drains cleared. Watch out for leaning trees or weakened branches; if you spot trouble, call an arborist.
* Remember to turn off the sprinklers or other irrigation. Be careful walking on or working with wet soil; it can compact easily.
* On rainy days, do some indoor gardening. Tend to houseplants. Sort seed packets. Start seed indoors for cool-season veggies and flowers.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Rake and compost leaves, but leave at least some healthy leaves in planting beds for nesting insects and foraging birds. But dispose of any diseased plant material. For eample, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* If you decide to use a living Christmas tree this year, keep it outside in a sunny location until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* After they bloom, chrysanthemums should be trimmed to 6 to 8 inches above the ground. If in pots, keep the mums in their containers until next spring. Then they can be planted in the ground, if desired, or repotted.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers such as California poppies and plant spring bloomers such as as sweet peas, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.