Learn how at free garden talks at all seven Green Acres
Hummingbirds like native plants, too. An Anna’s hummingbird pauses on a hollyleaf redberry in Sacramento to eat some insects. Photo courtesy Sacramento Valley CNPS
Pollinators make the world a more bountiful place; without them, we wouldn’t eat.
In addition to all those busy bees, favorite pollinators include butterflies and hummingbirds. While at work, these beneficial insects and active birds are fun to watch.
Learn how to invite more wildlife into your yard during free talks Saturday morning, June 17, at all Green Acres Nursery & Supply locations.
Set for 10 a.m. Saturday, “Grow a Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden” will cover the basics of how to plant a pollinator-friendly space for this summer’s visitors as well as how to attract more butterflies and hummingbirds for years ahead.
Plant the right flowers and they will come. Different species prefer to feed on specific plants.
According to the Sacramento Audubon Society, six species of hummingbirds may be seen in our region. They all love trumpet-shaped flowers, preferably in bright red or orange colors.
With emerald green feathers and a ruby-pink throat, Anna’s hummingbird is the most common – and a permanent Sacramento-area resident. Unlike most hummingbirds, Anna’s Hummingbird doesn’t migrate and is very territorial.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Anna’s hummingbird is crazy about eucalyptus trees; the widespread planting of eucalyptus in California also spread the distribution of these tiny birds. In the wild, they feed on the nectar of manzanita, currant and gooseberry flowers but also go for lots of backyard plants. (Hummers also like to eat small bugs.)
Butterflies prefer flowers that offer a landing platform – some place to sit while they snack. Daisy-like flowers such as asters, coneflowers, lantanas and zinnias attract a wide range of butterflies but so do native plants such as California buckeye.
Some species demand certain plants for breeding. Monarchs must have milkweed. As their name implies, pipevine swallowtails lay their eggs on California pipevines. Purple passion flower vines host the Gulf fritillary. (Just remember: Butterfly host plants are grown to be eaten by caterpillars. So expect holes in the leaves!)
Find out who likes which flowers and a lot more during these information talks, which also provide an opportunity to get some local expert planting recommendations.
Green Acres nurseries are located in Sacramento, Auburn, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rocklin and Roseville.
For addresses and directions: https://idiggreenacres.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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