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Catch the buzz; plant more California natives

Sac Valley CNPS Nursery presents spring online sale

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 16, 2026

The blue elderberry is a California native and an important source of food for birds and other wildlife. Sac Valley CNPS will have some for purchase during the online plant sale this weekend. Kathy Morrison

Do you love bees, birds and butterflies? Help these important pollinators by planting more California native plants.

One of the best places to find California natives that love growing in Sacramento is the nursery and gardens operated by the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society at Soil Born Farms’ American River Ranch in Rancho Cordova.

To celebrate the start of spring, the nursery is hosting a special native plant sale. Order plants online this weekend, then pick up later this month.

The online order window will be open from 8 a.m. Saturday, March 21, to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22. When ordering, select a pick-up time on Sunday, March 29 (from 10 a.m to 3 p.m.), or Monday, March 30 (9:30 a.m. to noon).

If picking up plants Monday, make time to visit the nursery’s demonstration gardens and see many of these native plants in full glory.

The SacValley CNPS Nursery & Gardens is on the American River Parkway at Soil Born Farms, 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova.

Details and directions: https://www.sacvalleycnps.org/plant-sales/. The plant inventory is at https://sacvalleycnps.org/shop/

Note: Sac Valley CNPS is looking volunteers to be plant haulers and customer service assistants for the pick-up days on March 29 and 30. If you would like to volunteer, please reach out to Lorena at: volunteersvcnps@gmail.com

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

native plants California natives wildlife birds blue elderberry California Native Plant Society March spring plant sale online sale Soil Born Farms Rancho Cordova Sacramento gardening

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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

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

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

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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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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