Early Spring in the Water Efficient Landscape Gardens

Early spring is a wonderful time to visit the water efficient landscape (WEL) demonstration garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, which is open to the public seven days a week and is wheelchair accessible. Cheerful golden daffodils, narcissus, Oregon grape and California golden current blossoms mingle among lime-green euphorbias and orange ‘Prairie-Fire’ sedge. Charming pink and white floral clusters cover our native manzanitas. Bright blue rosemary blooms are attracting bees and other welcome pollinators while scrub jays are busy planting acorns.

March and April gardening tasks include weed identification and removal; especially bothersome are bur clover, bedstraw and cut leaf geranium. (A good guide to identifying and controlling weeds can be fount at the UC IPM Weed Gallery.) We also will be pruning our many salvias, sages, and trimming back frost damage as the perennial plants start their new spring growth.

The garden features natives, commonly available perennials, trees and shrubs along with plants from other Mediterranean climates that all do well with less water during our long, hot, dry summer days and tolerate our chilly, damp Sacramento County winters. Most plants are labeled and many are UC Davis Arboretum All Stars.

Master Gardeners will be in the garden with tips and information during our workshop on Saturday, March 16 from 9am to noon, and at the mid-week Open Garden on Wednesday, April 17 from 10am to 1 pm.

Here are some early spring standouts


	Prairie fire sedge Carex testacea 'Prairie-Fire'


Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Point Reyes'		Oregon holly grape Mahonia (Berberis) aquifolium

Narcissus Narcissus canaliculatus		Tree mallow Lavatera maritima

Perennial spurge Euphorbia myrsinites		Pork and beans stonecrop Sedum rubrotinctum

Species tulips Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia'		Tasmanian tiger spurge Euphorbia ‘Tasmanian Tiger’