Yolo County master gardeners share advice on how to create a 'Wildlife Friendly Garden'
A painted lady butterfly enjoys the nectar of some lacy phacelia. In the Yolo master gardeners' online workshop Thursday, learn about plants that both humans and wildlife can enjoy. Kathy Morrison
October is the perfect time to plant most California natives, shrubs, trees and perennials – just the kind of flowering plants that attract more bees, butterflies and birds to your garden.
But what to plant? Which flowers do hummingbirds prefer? How about beneficial insects?
Find out during a free online seminar, hosted by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Yolo County and the Yolo County Library.
Set for 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, “Wildlife Friendly Garden” will show how people – especially in suburban or urban settings – can help native wildlife such as bees and birds through thoughtful gardening. By providing food and habitat, what you plant makes a big difference in their lives.
Yolo County Master Gardener Petra Unger will discuss how to plant a garden that’s both friendly to wildlife and people, say the organizers. “Learn how to best design, plant and grow your garden to maximize the benefits to wildlife and yourself.”
Unger’s advice works not only for Yolo County but all of the Central Valley and Sierra foothills. Since it’s on Zoom, the online workshop is available to a broad audience. Find the link here: https://yolomg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=570427&g=57253.
This workshop is part of an online series presented at 3 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of each month by the master gardeners and Yolo County Library. Set for Nov. 9, the next class: “What to Do in the November Garden?”
For more details: https://yolomg.ucanr.edu/.
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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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