We benefit from the natural world -- and the community of gardeners
Last winter's moisture helped this holiday season's crop of firs and cedars
GoFundMe drive supports treatment for longtime nursery manager Taylor Lewis
Small Business Saturday and Holiday Open House coming soon
Recipe: Lime, cilantro and chilis flavor this easy dip
Clear and cool conditions expected after Saturday's soaking
Open house Nov. 25 kicks off holiday shopping season
Two Placer County workshops focus on vermicomposting
Sacramento Tree Foundation offers hands-on workshop
Popular event features tons of fresh citrus and more
Chrysanthemum celebration includes tribute to club president
Recipe: Persimmon and/or apple crisp adjusts to fruit on hand
‘Atmospheric river’ could soak Sacramento with 1.5 inches of rain
How to prevent the spread of this yucky fungal disease
Sacramento video program an award winner
Sacramento fall leaf season looks spectacular; enjoy it while you can
Park Winters offers 'Thanksgiving Table Decor' workshop
Sacramento Center for Textile Arts hosts annual showcase featuring work by local craftspeople and artists.
Recipe: Different mix-ins change the personality of the scone
Fall weather (including some rain) arrives as we 'fall back' to standard time; remember to reset your clocks
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Garden Checklist for week of Dec. 22
* Between showers this week, check on your garden’s welfare. Clean up fallen branches and other debris. Don’t let water pool near foundations.
* When working (or just walking) in the garden, be careful of soggy ground; it can compact easily. Soggy soil also will rot newly planted bulbs. Wait until the soil is moist but not dripping wet.
* Rake leaves away from storm drains and gutters. Recycle those leaves as mulch or add to compost.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis and cyclamen indoors, and Iceland poppies, calendulas, pansies and primroses outdoors.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location; bring them inside at night or if there’s rain. (They don’t like cold, wet weather.)
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Once soil dries out a little, trees and shrubs can be planted now, especially bare-root varieties such as fruit trees or rose bushes. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from winter rains.
* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.