Learn how to prune roses better, faster

Need to sharpen your pruning skills? Here’s a great opportunity to learn how to prune your roses faster and better – and taste some great chili, too.

On Saturday, Jan. 13, the Sierra Foothills Rose Society will host its annual Winter Care Workshop for Roses, featuring master rosarians Baldo Villegas, Linda Knowles and Charlotte Owendyk. To be held at the Orangevale Grange Auditorium, the free workshop starts at 8:30 a.m. with registration. The seminar starts at 9 a.m. and includes hands-on practice as well as demonstrations.

“Practice under the watchful eye of experienced rosarians who prune hundreds of their own roses,” say the organizers. “When you leave, you will confidently prune your roses!”

Make that “thousands” of roses; Baldo grows more than 3,000 bushes at his Orangevale home.

Proper pruning produces more and bigger flowers. It also helps reinvigorate rose bushes and makes for a healthier garden with less if any pesticides.

The morning-long session wraps up with a chili cookoff at 12:30 p.m. Participants vote for the best chili while also having an opportunity to get advice from the society’s rose experts one on one.

Highlight of this workshop is always Baldo’s demonstration of his “Three-Minute Pruning Method.” He’ll show how to prune a full-size hybrid tea in three minutes – and often less – by looking at the plant from the base up. By identifying the canes to keep first, the job becomes much simpler.

Instructors also will share advice on pruning tools as well as how to control pests and diseases in the garden (an important part of why we prune roses every year).

No advance registration is needed and the public is welcome. Bring gloves and bypass pruners.

Orangevale Grange is located at 5807 Walnut Ave., Orangevale.