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Take a summer morning ramble amid native plants

Registration required for free event Aug. 6

The coffeeberry, another name for California buckthorn, is a native shrub that can be found in several habitats around the state.

The coffeeberry, another name for California buckthorn, is a native shrub that can be found in several habitats around the state. Photo courtesy Beth Savidge

What does a garden of California native plants look like in summer? Patricia Carpenter, a Garden Ambassador for the California Native Plant Society, invites visitors to come find out during the Seasonal Summer Ramble at her garden near Davis.

The 1-acre native garden will be open to visitors 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6. The event is free but registration is required here. The non-native garden will be open to view as well.

Highlights of a summer ramble:
• See how plants adapt to heat and drought. Also, irrigation strategies.
• View summer blooms.
• Observe seasonal maintenance, seed collecting, and discuss plans for fall planting.

The Miridae Mobile Nursery will be on site for sales to anyone inspired to add more native plants to their garden.

Visitors can attend an optional short orientation and Q&A gathering with Patricia at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Meet near the check-in table.

Carpenter's garden is south of Russell Boulevard, west of Davis, at Pierce Ranch Road. A map link is available on the registration page.

Although masks are optional, visitors are asked to please respect distancing and mask wearing of other visitors. Wearing sturdy shoes is advised. No dogs, please.

Visitors are welcome to bring a snack to enjoy during the morning. A composting toilet available onsite.

To learn more about Carpenter's Garden Ambassadorship and her garden, visit the CNPS website here.



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Garden Checklist for week of April 20

Before possible showers at the end of the week, take advantage of all this nice sunshine – and get to work!

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Give shrubs and trees a dose of a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

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