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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

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED DEC 30, 2020

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 .

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 May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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