Sign up for a free winter ramble Sunday near Davis
The 2023 Winter Ramble was soggy but there was plenty for close observers to see in Patricia Carpenter's native plant garden. Kathy Morrison
Winter gardens are subtle but satisfying for plant lovers. The changes and activity require closer observation than other times of the year.
Patricia Carpenter, a California Native Plant Society Garden Ambassador, gives the region's garden fans a chance to enjoy those views this Sunday, Jan. 28. She'll open her secluded 1-acre native plant garden west of Davis from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday for a Winter Ramble.
The garden, on the west side of Pierce Ranch Road south of Russell Boulevard, will be open rain or shine for self-guided tours; visitors can start any time during those hours. Maps will be available for use on site.
Admission is free but registration is required. Register here.
Here's what Carpenter describes as the highlights of the winter garden:
An optional short orientation and Q&A gathering with her will be held at noon and 2 p.m. Meet at the check-in table.
Visitors are welcome to bring a lunch or snack to enjoy on site. Please leave dogs at home. Carpenter suggests wearing sturdy shoes; any footwear that can handle mud is a good idea this time of year. A composting toilet is available on site as well.
Read more about Carpenter's garden and access a map at her CNPS profile page. Her non-native garden also will be open for strolling Sunday.
For anyone wishing to start or add to their own native plant garden, Miridae Mobile Plant Nursery's truck will be at the garden entrance for sales. Check the current inventory here.
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Garden Checklist for week of July 21
Your garden needs you!
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Feed vegetable plants bone meal, rock phosphate or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting. (But wait until daily high temperatures drop out of the 100s.)
* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.
* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
* It's not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers.
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