August ends on a warm note, but cooler days coming soon
Triple-digit temperatures can keep tomatoes from turning full red, says Farmer Fred
Native plants, Arboretum All-Stars and more will be offered
El Dorado County master gardeners offer free workshop
Exotic Plants offers carnivorous plant terrarium workshop
Heat spikes dried out flowers or caused plants to abort fruit
Recipe: Try this classic with cherries, peaches or other favorites
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Tri-County Home & Garden Show offers 15 seminars
Hands-on workshop shows what to do with cuttings, divisions and seeds
Florists compete in design competition; clubs and master gardeners offer expert advice
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More triple-digit heat coming soon; plan accordingly
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Using basil, growing beets to be topics of Yolo master gardeners' workshop
Master gardeners offer two free workshops on fall and winter vegetables
The Secret Garden hosts hands-on 'Aromatic Escapes' workshop
Elk Grove store offers curated collection, advice
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.