Free fall garden workshops focus on roses and wildlife

Santa Rosa

Making more roses

Learn the magic of growing roses through cuttings during a free talk Thursday.

The Redwood Empire Rose Society will host Burling Leong of Burlington Rose Nursery in Visalia, who will demonstrate the art of propagating roses. She also will have roses for sale.

For more than 50 years, Leong has specialized in hybridizing, breeding, collecting and preserving hard-to-find and rare roses. She has restored historical rose gardens across the country including at Hearst Castle, Huntington Botanical Rose Garden, Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Museum, Roy Rogers State Park, Brooklyn Botanical Rose Garden and the Chicago Botanical Rose Garden.

The talk will take place at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge, but donations are welcome. Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Ave., in Santa Rosa. Refreshments will be served and a short business meeting will precede the talk at 6 p.m. Visit redwoodempirerosesociety.com.

Santa Rosa

Author, botanist talk on state’s plant biodiversity

California is one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots, with more than 6,000 native plants, many found nowhere else.

The Sonoma County Master Gardeners will host Matt Ritter, an award-winning author, botanist and professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, for a presentation Wednesday on California’s native plants and urban forests. Ritter will lead a photographic tour of the state, focusing on its natural and cultural history through plants. He will highlight interesting native flora and the trees we plant in our cities and discuss how we can improve our planting choices.

The lecture, which marks the Master Gardeners’ 40th anniversary, begins at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a book signing and refreshments. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased by noon Tuesday. Visit sonomamg.ucanr.edu.

Graton

Fall flower show and plant sale returns

The Graton Community Club is rolling out its traditional Fall Flower Show this weekend.

The historic clubhouse in downtown Graton will be flush with flowers, plants for sale, handmade novelties and recycled treasures. Lunch with homemade desserts will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m Saturday for $15, and live music will add to the festive atmosphere. Admission is free. The event, from which proceeds will go toward scholarships for Santa Rosa Junior College students, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 8996 Graton Road in Graton. Call 707-829-5314, or go to gratoncommunityclub.org for more information.

Guerneville

Create habitat that’s inviting to butterflies

Learn how to create habitat that attracts butterflies and caterpillars during a free talk from the Sonoma County Master Gardeners on Oct. 22 at the Guerneville Regional Library.

Suzanne Clarke will share what butterflies need to survive and what home gardeners can do to help them.

Registration is required. Go to bit.ly/3S57TlM to complete your registration. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the library talk. The talk will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon at 14107 Armstrong Woods Road in Guerneville.

Santa Rosa

Supporting nature in a changing world

Home gardeners can have a significant impact on the natural world. Learn how at a free talk Oct. 22 hosted by the Sonoma County Master Gardeners.

The workshop will share science-based principles about local ecosystems to help people support wildlife in their own gardens. It will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Rincon Valley Library, 6959 Montecito Blvd. in Santa Rosa. Registration is required at sonomamg.ucanr.edu.

Submit home and garden related news to meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com.