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Volunteers needed for Jan. 9 Prune-a-thon

McKinley Park Rose Garden to host annual event with face masks, social distancing

Volunteers at the prune-a-thon
Volunteers prune roses in McKinley Park during a previous year's Prune-a-thon. This year's event, with
masks and social distancing, will be Jan. 9. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)





The Prune-a-thon will go on!

With social distancing and mandatory face masks, the annual public pruning event at the McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9.

Nisa Hayden, the McKinley Park Rose Garden manager and volunteer coordinator, confirmed that the Prune-a-thon – which usually attracts scores of rose lovers – would welcome volunteers again in 2021.

Traditionally held the first Saturday in January, the Prune-a-thon is scheduled a week later, due to New Year’s Day falling on a Friday and current COVID restrictions.

Home to about 1,200 bushes, the garden is located on H Street west of 33rd Street in East Sacramento.

Persons interested in participating are asked to fill out an online form in advance. To register, please visit
https://app.vomo.org/project/annual-pruning-event .

Rose garden
The pruning pays off in spring, when the rose garden looks
like this.

The largest event of its kind in Sacramento, this massive pruning session annually grooms the garden’s rose bushes, often completing the task in just one day.

In addition, beginners learn the skills to help any rose bush look its best and bloom more.

“Experienced volunteers who have been trained can work on their own,” Hayden said. “Inexperienced but interested volunteers will be trained and work with supervision. ...We are also seeking some experienced volunteers who would be willing to help train.”

And there’s a bonus for sticking around. “Hot soup will be provided after we are finished,” she added.

Participants are asked to bring their own gloves and tools such as bypass pruners and loppers.

For more information, email Hayden at mckinleyrosegarden@gmail.com .

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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