Sacramento Digs Gardening logo
Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Learn the basics of succulents April 8

Master gardeners schedule free Zoom class

Succulents in pots
Succulents are easy-care plants, once their few needs are understood. Learn all about them in
an online class from the Sacramento County master gardeners. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

You're probably aware that succulents have been leading the trends for plants the past few years. But do you know your Dudleya caespitosa from your Crassula muscosa ?

Gardeners who want to learn more about these intriguing, easy-care plants will want to sign up for a free lunchtime Zoom class scheduled 12:15 -1 p.m. Thursday, April 8.

"Get Sharp: Introduction to Cacti and Succulents" will be taught by UCCE Sacramento County master gardeners Andi MacDonald and Theresa Roberts. They plan the online class to include:

-- An overview of succulents including cacti and euphorbia.

-- The features that make them versatile plants to grow in containers and in the landscape.

-- Tips and demonstrations on essential care and cultivation practices.

-- Common problems and solutions.

-- Learn which varieties are well suited for the Sacramento area.

There is no cost, but registration is required. Register here . Students will receive a confirmation email and a link to the class. The Zoom session will open at noon and instruction will begin at 12:15 p.m.

Dudleya caespitosa, incidentally, is part of the large Dudleya family and a California native; one of its common names is sea lettuce. Crassula muscosa is known as watch chain plant.

To find out more from the Sacramento County master gardeners, including their many garden guides and tips, visit http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/

-- Kathy Morrison


Comments

0 comments have been posted.

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Ad for California Local

Thanks to our sponsor!

Summer Strong ad for BeWaterSmart.info

Garden Checklist for week of May 12

Get your gardening chores and irrigation done early in the day before temperatures rise.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions. This heat will cause leafy greens and onions to flower; pick them before they bolt.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Got fruit trees? If you haven't already done so, thin orchard fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, pluots and plums before they grow too heavy, breaking branches or even splitting the tree. Leave the largest fruit on the branch, culling the smaller ones, and allow for 5 to 6 inches (or a hand's worth) between each fruit.

* Thin grape bunches, again leaving about 6 inches between them. For the remaining bunches, prune off the "tail" end, about the bottom third of the bunch, so that the plant's energy is concentrated in the fruit closest to the branch.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

square-tomatoes-plate.jpg

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

Join Us Today!