Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 18

Foggy mornings, (maybe) afternoon sun; put that forecast on repeat for at least another week.

According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento will stay stuck in this typical January pattern. And that’s OK; it’s great winter gardening weather (if you don’t mind a little damp).

Sacramento can expect highs in the upper 50s every afternoon. That’s actually on the warm side; average high for early January in Sacramento is 54 degrees.

Overnight lows will tend to dip to the low 40s each night but stay well clear of freezing. That’s also a shade on the “warm” side; average low for this week is 39 degrees.

The weather service’s long-range forecast for January says we have a 90% chance of warmer than normal temperatures. As for rain, Sacramento may get some before the end of the month, but so far this week looks dry.

Make the most of these rain-free breaks. Your garden needs you!

* 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.

* Plant bare-root roses and fruit trees.

* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.

* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.

* 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 the time to prune fruit trees, except cherry and apricot trees. 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. Give them an acid-type fertilizer. But don’t fertilize your Japonica camellias until after they finish blooming next month. Doing that 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.

* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.

* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.