Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Dec. 27
This little peach tree has dropped all its leaves. It’s the ideal time to spray the tree to prevent peach leaf curl, plus prune it if needed. (Photo: Kathy Morrison) Fog, showers and occasional...
Tagged: winter chores
December rose care: Start pruning
T.J. David created this beautiful bouquet from his last roses while starting winter pruning. (Photo courtesy T.J. David) With all this sun, our roses are refusing to go to sleep. Following a trend seen...
Late pruning is better than no pruning
This Pink Promise rose needs pruning. (Photo: Debbie Arrington) Some roses just don’t know when to give up. They keep blooming and blooming – and never go dormant. In Sacramento, our unseasonably warm weather...
Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 23
Bare-root blueberries are plentiful in stores now. Bare-root plants offer the best selection and best prices of the growing year. (Photo: Kathy Morrison) One month wet, the next month dry; that’s been our weather...
Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 16
Violas add color to the winter garden. Other flowers to plant now: Pansies, snapdragons, English daisies, calendulas and fairy primroses. (Photo: Kathy Morrison) We’re settling into another winter dry spell. According to the National...
Goodbye, Claw! Leaf season almost over
The Claw is still working, but just until Jan. 26. (Photo courtesy City of Sacramento) Sacramento street pick-up schedule ends Jan. 26 Better get those piles moving and the Christmas tree out the door;...
Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Feb. 7
These peach buds are at the perfect stage for spraying with a copper-based fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl. The Sacramento area should have dry weather for gardening for at least a few more...
Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 17
A lightly shaded spot with an eastern exposure is a good location for a blooming azaleas. (Photos: Kathy Morrison) Watch out for falling branches – and stray sparks! According to the National Weather Service,...
Reinvigorate that perennial with pruning
Look how leggy this “Hot Lips” salvia has become, even though it’s in a warm spot with plenty of sun. Time to prune it back. (Photos: Kathy Morrison) Winter’s the best time to reshape...
Prune roses taller for faster bloom
These hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras benefit from pruning taller, not to the ground. (Photos: Debbie Arrington) How short – or tall – should you prune roses? It depends – on the kind of...