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Grow a gorgeous garden and save water, too

Master gardeners present free online workshop

Yellow butterfly
A western tiger swallowtail enjoys the ambiance of a trailing lantana. Low-water gardens can be beautiful. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

How do you balance garden beauty with fire safety? How do you support bees and butterflies while saving water? (And what can survive our summer heat while still looking good?)

As our climate gets drier, those gardening challenges become harder, especially in communities with limited water. Who knows what to plant to fulfill all these needs?

Master gardeners do! See their suggestions and learn how to master this gardening dilemma during a special free workshop. It's open to anyone with an internet connection.

Set for 9 a.m. Saturday, June 26, “Gorgeous Low-Water Gardening” features the expertise of foothill master gardeners, who have the challenge of providing defensible space for wildfire protection.

Presented by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Amador County in cooperation with the UCCE Master Gardeners of El Dorado County, this 90-minute online class will explore options and challenges of low-water gardening.

“So, you want a beautiful garden up here in the Sierra Foothills,” say the organizers. “You want to attract butterflies and bees, but you also want to be fire-safe and, of course, drought tolerant due to our long, hot summers and increasing drought periods.”

Like the drought period we appear to be in again.

“Well, things just got pretty tricky!!” they added. “You need advice and direction from the experts! Join our Master Gardeners who will share tips and tricks, review various plant choices and discuss water management for your beautiful creation.”

Registration is free, but required. Participants can sign up anytime before and during the session. You will receive the link to the session in the registration confirmation email. To register:
https://bit.ly/3xWnzyi

More details: https://ucanr.edu/sites/Amador_County_MGs/

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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.

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