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East Sacramento Garden Tour returns to Fabulous Forties

See six private gardens, shop local boutique over Mother’s Day weekend

For the East Sacramento Garden Tour, local floral and garden designers create perfect outdoor vignettes, such as this inviting bench.

For the East Sacramento Garden Tour, local floral and garden designers create perfect outdoor vignettes, such as this inviting bench. Courtesy of East Sacramento Garden Tour

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day weekend in East Sacramento? By wandering from beautifully decorated patio to gorgeous garden in the Fabulous Forties.

This weekend, the 26th annual East Sacramento Garden Tour returns Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10. This tour will go on, rain or shine. Expect plenty of sun; Sacramento’s weekend forecast calls for warm temperatures pushing 90 degrees.

And wear comfortable shoes; each of the tour’s six private gardens is within easy walking distance of the neighborhood’s school.

A fundraiser for David Lubin Elementary School’s student programs, this popular event draws hundreds of patrons to peak inside the private gardens of one of Sacramento’s most venerable neighborhoods. The tour also includes three student-planted gardens on the Lubin School campus.

“The East Sac Garden Tour is David Lubin Elementary’s largest fundraiser each year,” say the organizers. “But it’s more than that, too. It’s a story about East Sacramento and the beautiful gardens that exist all around us. It’s a chance to enjoy the community within our school and to also create a community outside of the school.

“Held each Mother’s Day Weekend, it has become a beloved tradition in Sacramento,” they add. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate all that has been slowly but steadily growing around us. The self-guided walking tour lets you explore our lovely neighborhood with the ones you love most – time enjoyed with a mom, a grandma, a neighbor or a friend. Kids are welcome too. (If there’s anything we can identify with the magical growth from seed to bloom, it’s a kid.)

“In addition to touring the outdoor spaces throughout the neighborhood, our school hosts a Boutique, Café and three more gardens to admire. The on-campus experience gathers over 25 local makers – perfect for gift shopping.

“If you’re looking to elevate the day even more, you can join us at Sutter Lawn Tennis Club for our Wine Garden,” note the hosts. “We have some fun surprises at the historical neighborhood club that we can’t wait to share.”

Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, the private gardens are each paired with top designers and local florists. Patrons may tour them in any order at their own pace.

Advance tickets ($25) are available online; tickets on tour weekend ($30) are sold at Lubin School. Children age 12 and younger admitted to the tour free.

The wine garden at Sutter Lawn Tennis Club (3951 N St., Sacramento) will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Separate wine garden tickets (including three pours) are $25 in advance, $30 on tour weekend. The first guests of each day receive a commemorative glass. Children age 12 and younger are admitted free.

Need a gift for Mom? The event’s boutique and cafe will be open again at Lubin School, featuring several local vendors and plenty of “made in Sacramento” gift ideas. The boutique is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the boutique and cafe is free.

David Lubin School is located at 3535 M St., Sacramento. The tour’s ticket office will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All tickets purchased online are available at will call at the school.

Tickets and details: https://www.eastsacgardentour.com/.

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Garden checklist for week of June 14

We'll be back to normal temperatures for mid-June (about 86 degrees) by Thursday. In the meanwhile:

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the early hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.

* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don't let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes. There’s still time to plant melons, pumpkins and squash from seed.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, bidens, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth