Placer County master gardeners welcome public to experience their growing resource, now in spring bloom
It was late March when the Demonstration Garden first opened at the Loomis Library. Guaranteed there will be more blooms, bigger plants and plenty of sunshine this Saturday for the Spring Open House. Kathy Morrison
On Saturday, June 1, Placer County master gardeners will host their first Spring Open House at their new Demonstration Garden at Loomis Library. Admission is free.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., dozens of master gardeners will be on hand to show visitors what they’ve been working months to create – a total transformation. What was originally 11,000 square feet of unused turf is now a vibrant water-wise garden packed with California natives, pollinator-friendly flowers and edible plants.
“The garden provides an educational environment with areas devoted to pollinator-friendly garden, HOA-friendly garden, rain garden, compost demonstration area, California native woodlands, a lawn-alternative meadow, hedgerows, an edible garden, straw-bale alternative and an orchard,” explain the master gardeners. “The plants and fruit trees are all small but have labels, and the labels have QR codes so visitors can learn more about them.”
Opened earlier this year on the library grounds, the garden will be bursting with spring color, as well as activities for all ages and all levels of gardeners.
“There will be kids activities, information tables staffed with experts in various gardening topics, live music and more,” say the hosts. “Experts will be on hand to answer questions about tool care, irrigation – we will have an expert from Hunter Industries on hand – ‘Ask a Master Gardener’ and vermiculture. Master gardeners will be present to answer questions about the garden and the various beds. We will have experts on California native plants and pollinators as well.”
Loomis Library is located at 6050 Library Drive, Loomis.
For more on the Demonstration Garden: https://pcmg.ucanr.edu/Demonstration_Garden/.
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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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