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McKinley Park hosts annual 'Prunathon'


Volunteers prune McKinley Park roses during a previous Prunathon. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)
Volunteers needed to finish pruning 1,200 roses



It's time to pull out the shears and get to work! The prunathon is back!

Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, volunteers will finish pruning the historic McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden. This is no small job. The world-famous garden features more than 1,200 full-size roses.

Many hands make quick work; the garden is usually finished before noon.

Volunteers tackle pruning the McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden, which
includes about 1,200 bushes.
Hosted by Friends of East Sacramento, this free event annually attracts scores of volunteers, who swarm over the rose beds in groups. Each informal team is led by a gardener with rose-pruning experience, including several members of the Sacramento Rose Society.

Dave Coop, the society's president, will lead a hands-on rose care and pruning workshop at the start of the prunathon. No prior pruning experience necessary.

According to rose garden volunteer coordinator Lyn Pitts, volunteers took advantage of recent clear weather to get a jump on the McKinley roses. About half are already pruned. That still leaves hundreds that need attention Saturday.

Refreshments (including hot beverages) will be served. Bring thick gloves and pruners (preferably bypass pruners). Other tools will be available. Dress in layers; the morning will start cold.

Located on H Street near 33rd Street, the McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden is regarded among the prettiest and most romantic gardens in Sacramento. A favorite site for weddings, it was featured in the 2017 hit movie "Lady Bird."

For more details:
https://bit.ly/2AnXpZK or www.friendsofeastsac.org .


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Garden Checklist for week of June 29

We're into our typical summer weather pattern now. Get chores, especially watering, done early in the morning while it's cool.

* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.

* Don’t let tomato plants wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week.

* Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Harvest tomatoes, squash, peppers and eggplant. Prompt picking will help keep plants producing.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

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