Murer House hosts 10th annual celebration with show, tours and speakers
Do camellias have scent? Yes, if they're a fragrant variety such as this High Fragrance bloom. Learn more about camellias during Camellia Day in Folsom. Debbie Arrington
Do you have any camellias left? Camellias came out extra early this year, but this late-winter favorite still has plenty of flower power – especially in the Sacramento region. (After all, Sacramento is the Camellia Capital!)
Our annual celebration of all things camellia actually starts in Folsom with this Saturday’s Camellia Day at Murer House and Gardens.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Murer House will host its 10th annual Camellia Day with a blossom show, self-guided tours and special speaker – Green Acres garden guru Greg Gayton.
“The public is invited to share and show single blossoms and arrangements,” say the organizers. “Ribbons will be awarded for People’s Choice and other categories.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., see dozens of beautiful camellias and get expert advice on how to grow your own. Members of the Camellia Society of Sacramento will be on hand to identify camellia varieties and offer tips on camellia care.
There is no charge to attend, tour Murer House or enter the camellia contest. Entries for the blossom show will be received from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Feb. 22. For information, contact Rhonda DesVoignes, bdesvoignes@comcast.net, or call the Murer House at 916-413-9231.
The Murer House and Gardens are located at 1125 Joe Murer Court, in historic Folsom, across Folsom Boulevard near historic Sutter Street. The home was built by Guiseppe Murer, an Italian immigrant who purchased the site in 1921 and constructed the home in 1925.
Details and directions: https://murerhousefoundation.org/.
By the time Murer build his house, camellias were already well established in the Sacramento region; the first shipment of camellias arrived in Sacramento in 1852! This shade-loving, drought-tolerant shrub thrives in Sacramento’s climate.
And don’t forget: The Camellia Society will host its 101st annual Sacramento Camellia Show and sale on March 1 and 2 at the Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H St., Sacramento. (More to come soon on that huge event.)
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 11
Make the most of the lower temperatures early in the week. We’ll be back in the 80s by Thursday.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to maintain moisture. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch-to-1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
* Remember to weed! Pull those nasties before they set seed.
* Water early in the day and keep seedlings evenly moist.