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Follow the poppies on Gardens Gone Native tour

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED APR 22, 2019

It's a great year for poppies, such as these in the Fremont Community Garden. Many of the stops on the Gardens Gone Native tour this weekend will include California's state flower. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

24 private gardens show off California native plants

This free self-guided tour is Sacramento’s version of the poppy trail.

California’s state flower will pop up often on the ninth annual Gardens Gone Native tour, which showcases the many ways to grow natives in the greater Sacramento area.

“I love poppies,” said tour organizer Colene Rauh. “I have lots of them in my garden. This is a very good year for poppies.”

Set for 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 27, this free event invites visitors to 24 private gardens planted with mostly native species. Of the two dozen stops, 11 are in Sacramento and four in Woodland. Other gardens are scattered in Rancho Cordova, Orangevale, Granite Bay, Fair Oaks and Citrus Heights.

Several gardens are on the tour for the first time. Participants can see as many (or as few) as they like.

Gardeners and docents will be on hand to share their secrets to blooming success. Last year, about 1,000 people took the tour, organized by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

After a chilly start to spring, recent sunny weather has sped up the bloom. Just as their wildflower cousins enjoyed winter rain and perfect growing conditions, native plants in suburban gardens are looking extraordinary with lush growth and abundant flowers.

“Everything’s been kind of late [blooming] because of the weather,” said Rauh, noting the cold spell in March. “But these warm days are really good.

This Sacramento garden on Sagamore Way will be among the 24 stops
on the Gardens Gone Native tour. (Photo: Courtesy Sac Valley CNPS)

"The ceanothus is out now. Irises are looking beautiful. Monkeyflowers are starting to bloom. Blue-eyed grass and woodland strawberries love this weather. The sages are doing well. By the tour, there will be a lot to see.”

A volunteer at the CNPS nursery, Mark Lum in North Highlands turned his former lawn into a field of wildflower dreams.

“It focuses on bringing the beauty of the wild California super blooms into a neighborhood setting,” said Lum, who started his lawn conversion in 2017. “The land needed to retain more water, so I created two rain swales and a mounding landscape. This helped also diversify the growing conditions for the over 50 native species of plants that I seeded or planted.

“The garden is heavy in annuals such as the sky lupine that has a pleasant floral smell when enough are present,” he added. “But unique perennials like the fiery tips of the Indian paintbrush also bring in the spring with color.”

Added Rauh, “He used all annuals. It’s very clever. He’s done a lot of research. He’s so passionate. It’s his own super bloom in his front yard.”

Gardens Gone Native Tour: 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. April 27. Free. See 24 private gardens in Sacramento and neighboring communities on this self-guided tour. For a map and garden descriptions, register at http://GardensGoneNative.eventbrite.com .

Details: www.sacvalleycnps.org .

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Keywords:

poppies gardening Sacramento annuals native plants Yolo County events California natives spring garden Placer County garden tours

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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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