Leave it to garden lovers to turn pruning into a special event.
The Petaluma Rose and Garden Club on Sunday is throwing a pruning party at the Petaluma Arts Center that will include pruning demonstrations and rose professionals on hand to answer questions.
In the process, the center's roses will get appropriately cut back, with all removed garden waste given to local farms to be turned into compost and feed.
The 3 p.m. event is free and refreshments will be served. Attendees are encouraged to bring their pruning shears, gloves and safety glasses.
The Petaluma Rosa and Garden Club was founded four years ago by Sandra Reed with Green Valley Consulting Engineers. While designing the Petaluma Train Depot's site plan and rose garden, she had the idea of creating a volunteer group to tend the garden's roses. The city of Petaluma donated 250 rose bushes supplied by the Petaluma Rose Company.
The project has also received support from Green Valley Consulting Engineers. The Arts Center is at 230 Lakeville Street at East Washington.
Master Gardener Louise Seymour will give a full-service talk on how to care for roses during a free workshop today in Sebastopol.
Seymour, who has grown prized roses for 30 years, will discuss varieties that perform best in this climate and cover white fertilizes, dormant sprays and mulches are most effective. She will also bring along several types of rose bushes for a hands-on and close up demonstration on pruning.
The talk will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Sebastopol Regional Library, 7140 Bodega Ave., Snata Rosa. For information call 565-2608 or visit sonomamastergardeners.com.
Master Gardeners Dana and Bob Lozano will share their expertise today during a 10:30 a.m. workshop at the Windsor Regional Library, 9291 Old Redwood Highway, Building 100.
The couple will explore the selection and planting of bare-root and container-grown shrubs and demonstrate how to prune different types of roses, including climbers, hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras.
The will also point out environmentally friendly ways to manage pests and diseases for more vigorous rose bushes.
Dana Lozano is one of The Press Democrat's "Garden Doctors" columnists.
For more information call 565-2608 or visit Sonomamastergardeners.org.
Jan, "The Rose Lady" Tolmasoff, leads an in-depth rose workshop on Jan 30 and Feb. 3 at her Russian River Rose Company in Healdsburg.
The day-long class starts indoors with a lesson on how to sharpen your sheers and a demonstration of various pruning techniques.
Later everyone will go out to the nursery's demonstration garden to practice. At 3 p.m. the workshop will conclude with a separate propagation demonstration, also open to people who don't want to attend the full day seminar, so participants can learn how to make more roses using dormant cuttings
Cost is $30 for the full day or $5 for the propagation demonstration only.
Students should wear hooded jackets, boots and warm socks and bring a sack lunch.
A continuous supply of warm comfort beverages and muffins will be available throughout the day.
If there is heavy rain the workshop will be postponed to Feb. 13. "Light rain, we smile and prune on," Tolmasoff says.
Each day's workshop starts at 9 a.m. Registration is required because class size is limited. Call 433-7455 or e-mail info@russian-river-rose.com.
The nursery is at 1685 Magnolia Dr., Healdsburg.
You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at 521-5204 or meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com.
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