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Auctions offer rare (plus new) roses


Weeks Roses donated In Your Eyes roses, above, and four others to the
area rose societies' annual auctions. (Photo courtesy Weeks Roses)


Find varieties from Villegas' collection while helping local clubs


Here’s your opportunity to grow roses just like legendary rose expert Baldo Villegas. Buy a bush grown from a cutting taken from his vast collection.

Or find a rose that Villegas doesn’t have – yet. And have fun in the purchase, outbidding other rose lovers, while supporting local garden clubs.

Both the Sierra Foothills and Sacramento rose societies will feature rose rarities and new varieties at their annual auctions in early February. It’s a wonderful way to build a rose collection, find a new addition to an established rose garden or get one special rose not available in local nurseries.

Villegas, a master rosarian with an estimated 3,000 bushes in his Orangevale garden, donated the cuttings to the two societies. Villegas, Duane and Melody Carlson, and Cindy Phipps propagated dozens of bushes, mostly miniatures and minifloras. These smaller varieties are great choices for container gardens, compact spaces and borders. Also among the selection are some ultra-fragrant Old Garden Roses and unusual polyanthas.

In addition, Weeks Roses donated five of their new releases: Celestial Night (a purple floribunda); In Your Eyes (a unique shrub rose with cuplike yellow blooms with red “eyes” that fade to pink and purple); Love at First Sight (a bicolor hybrid tea; red petals are silvery white underneath); Queen of Elegance (a ruffly pink floribunda); and State of Grace (a multicolor grandiflora; the big pink and gold blooms have a citrus scent).

Both auctions are open free to the public; cash or check please for purchases. The major fundraisers for these societies, the auctions support the clubs’ activities throughout the year including their annual rose shows and workshops. Except for the Weeks Roses, the selections are different at each event.

Sierra Foothills will host its auction at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at Maidu Community Center, 1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville. A week later, Sacramento keeps the bidding going at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento.

For a free electronic catalog including both auctions, email your request to Charlotte Owendyk at
owendyk@gmail.com .

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 2

During this stormy week, let the rain soak in while making plans for all the things you’re going to plant soon:

* During rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. After a good soaking from winter storms, lawns can go at least a week without sprinklers, according to irrigation experts. For an average California home, that week off from watering can save 800 gallons.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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