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These hardy orchids thrive outdoors in Sacramento

Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society hosts annual show and sale

See the best of the best local cymbidiums at the annual show and sale of the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society this Saturday.

See the best of the best local cymbidiums at the annual show and sale of the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society this Saturday. Courtesy Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society

After camellias come cymbidiums – maybe Sacramento’s second favorite March bloomer. These hardy outdoor orchids are just coming into spectacular flower, and they last for weeks.

If you love cymbidiums, you’re in luck. Saturday, March 23, the Sacramento Valley Cymbidium Society is hosting its annual show and sale at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

The show is a chance to see the best of the best local cymbidiums, displayed by club members. If you want to take some plants home, arrive early: The club will offer more than 75 plants – 50-plus standard-size cymbidiums and 25 miniatures, priced at $30 to $75.

But club members expect them to sell out quickly. That’s what happened when they brought 75 plants to the Shepard Spring Sale this past weekend.

“We had such an amazing response on Saturday (March 16) at the Shepard Sale,” the club posted on Facebook. They sold all but one miniature on this first day of the two-day event.

Fortunately, they’re restocked with new plants for the March 23 sale. These plants were grown by a family-run nursery in San Diego County that specializes in cymbidiums, Casa de las Orquideas.

Club members also will offer advice on how to repot cymbidium orchids and how to care for them. They don’t need much: A spot in the afternoon shade and sufficient irrigation.

Cymbidiums, also known as boat orchids, bloom in massive clusters on 3-foot-tall spikes. With a little protection against frost, these orchids thrive in Sacramento’s mild climate. It’s exposure to temperatures below 55 degrees in winter that prompts all those flowers.

See for yourself on Saturday. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

The Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park.

For more details: www.sgaac.org, https://www.facebook.com/sacramentocymbidiums or email SacCymSoc@yahoo.com.

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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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