Sacramento Digs Gardening: Dig In: Garden checklist for week of Jan. 6

Use bypass pruners for pruning roses.

Always a good idea to sharpen them
beforehand. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Work around storms during rainy early January

January's first weekend is wet. And that's normal; January typically is Sacramento's rainy month.

According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento can expect two big doses of deep-soaking rain, maybe three, in the next four days. About a half inch was expected Saturday, followed by another half inch Sunday night. More rain is forecast for Wednesday.

In addition, strong gusts of wind -- up to 43 mph -- are forecast for Sacramento through Monday. That combination of wet ground and gusty wind can be dangerous. Keep an eye out for toppling trees and shrubs, especially new transplants. Evergreens may drop branches.

The forecast starting Thursday calls for sunny skies and highs nudging 60. Wait until then for most outdoor chores. In between storms or when the sun comes out, here's what should be on your garden to-do list:

* Turn off the sprinklers for another week.
* Browse the new seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Prune deciduous fruit trees, except apricots and cherries. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.

These navels can be harvested now. But you can "store" them
on the tree for the time being. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

* Harvest citrus as it ripens. Navel oranges, lemons and mandarins are ready now.
* Add some instant color. Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* Plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.

CHECKLIST FOR THE WEEK

Your weekly checklist of activities in the garden.

Keywords:

seeds Sacramento McKinley Park Rose Garden roses bare-root plants weather winter annuals deciduous trees citrus gardening pruning seed catalogs rainfall bulbs

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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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