Trees -- we all know how important they are. But what are the best trees for zone 9? How exactly do you properly plant, stake and water a new tree? Pamela Sanchez -- Certified Arborist and Education Programs Manager for the Sacramento Tree Foundation -- joins me to discuss these topics and more.

Pamela and the Sacramento Tree can be found at:

· Website: sactree.org

· Instagram: @sactree

· Facebook: @Sacramento Tree Foundation

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

It is the October To Do List, and that means it is a very busy time in the garden. Clean up from summer vegetables and prepping for fall and winter. The days are cooler, but shorter – which means you have to work efficiently and hard. Episode includes Listener Q&A, with topics listed below.

It is time to plant:

· Fava beans

· Beets

· Bok choy

· Carrots

· Celery

· Swiss chard

· Collards

· Garlic

· Kale

· Kohlrabi

· Leeks

· Lettuce

· Onions

· Peas

· Radish

· Spinach

· Turnips

· All perennials, bulbs

Chores include:

· Clean up vegetable beds (prevent diseases), mess from fruit trees

· Collect seeds

· Divide plants such as grasses, iris

· Compost

Listener Q&A section. Topics covered include:

· What to do about aphid infestation on large trees

· Lemon tree – producing fruit, but leaves are very pale

· Succulents – fertilizer?

· Best time of year to prune cherry tree

· Tomato plants – to compost or not?

Help support feral cat rescue/spay-neuter/finding good homes by contributing at Flower Power Garden Hour Patreon.

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

Seeds. As gardeners we sow them, order them, harvest them, and sometime try to prevent them. Author and gardener Jennifer Jewell delves even deeper into the science and importance of seeds in her new book 'What We Sow'. We discuss her inspiration for the book and talk about why seeds are so important in our ecosystem, cultures and overall survival as humans.

Jennifer Jewell, Cultivating Place and her new book 'What We Sow' can be found at:

· Book: What We Sow

· Website: Cultivating Place

· Instagram: @cultivating_place

· Facebook: @cultivatingplace

· Pinterest: @cultivate_place

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

As a plant person with minimal design skills, I'm in awe of people with both skill sets. In this episode I talk to Soleil Tranquilli about how she combines her artistic design ability with her wealth of plant knowledge to create firesafe, water wise and tranquil gardens. She is the owner of Tranquill Gardens as well as being a Certified watershed Wise Landscape Pro and the president of the Sacramento Association of Professional Landscape Designers.

Soleil and Tranquill Gardens can be found at:

· Website: Tranquill Gardens

· Website: Association of Professional Landscape Designers

· Facebook: Tranquill Gardens

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

It is the September To Do List – believe it or not, we are in full Fall prep time. Lots of cool weather vegetables to start planting, and tons of clean up and pruning. Summer may have been easy in the garden, but it's time to get the gloves on and get to work. Episode includes Listener Q&A and a discussion around current published articles in the horticulture world.

It is time to plant:

• Beets
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Swiss chard
• Collards
• Garlic
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Radish
• Spinach
• Perennials – towards the end of September when it cools down

Chores include:

• Clean up – pull out vegetables which are done, fallen fruit
• Prune lavender, hydrangeas
• Pests – whiteflies may be setting in…..keep an eye on

Listener Q&A section. Topics covered include:

• What are the galls attached to oaks? Are they harmful to the tree?
• When replanting a Venus Fly Trap, does it require a specific soil?
• Gardenias – no buds or flowers…..is this a location issue?
• Lantana issues

Help support feral cat rescue/spay-neuter/finding good homes by contributing at Flower Power Garden Hour Patreon.

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

You can say that my guest, Justin Hancock, is passionate about passion vines! But he is also passionate about anything that grows. As a horticulturalist for one of the top nurseries, Costa Farms, he gets to surround himself with all types of plants. We discuss, of course, passion vines as well as houseplant care.

Justin and Costa Farms can be found at:

· Instagram: justinwhancock

· Website: costafarms.com

· Instagram: costafarms

· Facebook: Costa Farms

· Twitter: @CostaFarms

· YouTube: @CostaFarms

· TikTok: costa.farms

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

It is the August To Do List, and we are having a gorgeous summer that is offering up IDEAL garden conditions. Vegetable and fruit harvests are bountiful, but there is prep work for fall piling up.

It is time to: Plant seeds in ground, including: beets, cabbage, carrots, turnips, potatoes

Prep garden beds for Fall planting in September: Weed, compost

Chores include:

• Dead-head flowers
• Pick up fallen fruit
• Cut off suckers
• Prevent weeds from going to seed
• Collect seeds
• Harvest melons
• Order fall bulbs (daffodils, tulips, etc)
• Deep water trees

We finish up with a Listener Q&A section. Topics covered include:

• Are pill bugs good for the soil?
• Do I need to keep "braiding" my plant?
• Habanero not blooming – why?
• Fig tree only produce dry, inedible figs. Why?

Help support feral cat rescue/spay-neuter/finding good homes by contributing at Flower Power Garden Hour Patreon.

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

Want to replace your lawn with a cacti/succulent garden? Here's how. My coworker and succulent grower extraordinaire, Gianluca Bacci, joins me to discuss succulent growing tips. We talk about major do's and don'ts of succulent care plus why the saguaro cacti of Arizona are dying.

Gianluca can be found at:

· Instagram: marinsect_gianluca

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

Many of us walk around with ideas/inventions in our head but don't follow through with them for numerous reasons. In this episode, I talk with inventor/founder of PlantTraps, Deborah Holtschlag, about how she came up with an idea and ran with it. We discuss her products that turn balconies into amazing gardens as well as her journey from idea to market.

Links below can be found to Deborah and PlantTraps.

· Website: planttraps.com

· Instagram: planttraps

· Facebook: planttraps

· YouTube: @planttraps

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook

It is the July To Do List, and we are in the HEAT of summer. Garden work is relegated to morning and (maybe) late afternoon given the blistering temperatures. Luckily, it is not the busiest time of the year garden wise – hopefully most of your time is spent harvesting vegetables. Plenty to do still from a maintenance perspective, and believe it or not….some early prep for Fall/Winter.

It is time to:

· Sow seeds indoors for brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli

Chores include:

· Deep water trees

· Deep water in-ground plants

· Mulch

· Weed

· HARVEST

· Snip off flowers of basil, other herbs

· Keep an eye out for insects – spray, squish

· Dead-head flowers

We finish up with a Listener Q&A section. Topics covered include:

· What is a good way to get rid of ants indoors?

· What are the best cut flower options?

· Pumpkins turning yellow and rotting before they turn orange – why?

· Fastest growing shrubs that do well in full sun with minimal water?

To ask questions for future shows, submit them at:

· Facebook

· Instagram

· email Marlene at [email protected]

Find Marlene over on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook