Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society hosts 52nd annual show and sale
Pitcher plants are among the carnivorous plants that do well outdoors in
the Sacramento area. See more plants at the show and sale this weekend. (Photo:
Debbie Arrington)
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In most gardens, bugs eat plants. But these plants eat bugs.
Discover the fascinating world of carnivorous plants during the 52nd annual Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale, set for this Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.
See hundreds of intriguing specimens, with several species that are right at home in Sacramento. Pitcher plants, for example, can be grown outdoors in our area. They do particularly well as part of a backyard water feature such as a half wine barrel or small pond; their roots get the boggy conditions they prefer while the plants have access to insects that may fly by.
Because they evolved to grow in such poor soil, carnivorous plants get most of their nourishment from insects that can become trapped in their specialized (often sticky) foliage. Likewise, bromeliads trap moisture and nutrients in the center of their swirl of colorful foliage.
Club members will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice. An excellent selection of plants will be offered for sale. Find pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts and other bug eaters as well as tillandsia (air plants) and bromeliads in a rainbow of hues.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free.
Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park.
Details and directions: www.sgaac.org .
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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.