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Holiday home tours are back this weekend and next

See beautiful decorations and help some good causes

Gorgeous decorations will be on view during the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour. Tours also will be held in Woodland and Loomis.

Gorgeous decorations will be on view during the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour. Tours also will be held in Woodland and Loomis. Courtesy Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour

One of Sacramento’s favorite seasonal traditions, the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour, celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend, Dec. 1-3, in East Sacramento’s Fabulous Forties neighborhood.

Two other home tours also are on the calendar in the region: Woodland’s Dickens in the Valley Home Tour this Saturday, Dec. 2, and the Loomis Holiday Home Tour on Saturday, Dec. 9.

All three events feature self-guided tours of beautifully decorated homes. Advance tickets are suggested for Sacramento and Woodland – there’s a price break for buying ahead of time. The Loomis tour tickets must be purchased in advance; ticket prices increase Dec. 8, and no tickets will be sold at the homes' doors.

The Holiday Home Tour of East Sacramento began in 1973 as a fundraiser for Sacred Heart Parish School. All proceeds from this year’s event, organizers note, help to offset tuition costs and offer assistance to those who might not otherwise be able to afford a Catholic education.

The tour features five homes, which each can be visited once at any time during the tour hours: noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Advance tickets are sold online: $40 general and $35 for seniors 65 and older. Children ages 3 and older must have their own ticket. 

On tour days, tickets can be purchased at Sacred Heart School: $45 general and $40 seniors.. The school is located at 856 39th St. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. They may also be purchased on the tour.

The Sacred Heart event also includes a cafe – with sandwiches, soup, snacks, hot drinks and a champagne bar – and  a boutique featuring more than 30 vendors.

The Dickens in the Valley Holiday Home Tour, presented by Friends of Meals on Wheels, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 2. Advance tickets are $30; day of tour the cost will be $40. Five homes are on the tour, and visitors are encouraged to start at any one of them. A list of the addresses is available on the Eventbrite ticket site.

The 14th Annual Loomis Holiday Home Tour features six decorated Placer County homes, open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 9. The tour benefits the Loomis Basin Education Foundation, which supports science and art programs in Loomis schools. Tickets are $45 until Dec. 8, when the price increases; the tour is open to ages 12 and older only.

The event includes a holiday boutique (open until 3 p.m.) at the H. Clarke Powers School gym, catered lunch ($25), an art contest and, at 12:15 p.m., a performance by Loomis student choir members. A special private evening tour and VIP reception, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., is also offered as part of the Loomis event. Tickets are $100, also available online. 

For more nformation, visit https://www.loomisholiday.com/. All tour and lunch tickets may be purchased here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/lbef/820104

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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.

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