Chrysanthemum celebration includes tribute to club president
These beautiful mums, prepared for transport to an earlier show, are typical of the ones that will be on display at the Shepard Center this weekend. Courtesy Tamara Bliley/Sacramento Chrysanthemum Society
It’s one of the oldest and most popular horticultural events in Sacramento. And this edition will be especially heartfelt.
This weekend, Nov. 18 and 19, see hundreds of spectacular mums in dozens of varieties during the 76th annual Sacramento Chrysanthemum Show at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.
Included in the show will be a tribute to Sharon Peterson, the longtime president of the Sacramento Chrysanthemum Society. Peterson, 80, of Fair Oaks died of pancreatic cancer on Oct. 26. A former schoolteacher, she had been an active club member and mum grower for decades. She taught countless Sacramento-area gardeners how to grow better mums.
“(Sharon) loved to teach people about growing and showing chrysanthemums,” said her obituary on Dignitymemorial.com. “She had been involved in the Sacramento Chrysanthemum Society for many years and she was the current sitting president.”
Over the years, Peterson grew many winning mums and was a constant presence at Sacramento’s show. In her honor this weekend, Shepard Center will be filled with her favorite flower.
Besides amazing exhibition mums, carefully crafted flower arrangements will be on display, thanks to the Sacramento Floral Design Guild. This year’s theme: “Autumn’s Delights.”
According to the National Chrysanthemum Society, the Sacramento show will be among the last shows of mum season. “The blooms there will be magnificent,” the national society noted on Facebook.
Learn how to grow and care for mums, one of the best plants for fall color in Sacramento. In 13 distinct flower forms, mums come in virtually every color except blue and true black plus many combinations.
Show hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Parking and admission are free.
Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park.
Details and directions: www.sgaac.org.
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* 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.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* 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.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, 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.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
Powered by California Local
