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Sacramento gardens still need volunteers

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 25, 2020

The beloved McKinley Park Rose Garden needs volunteers to weed and mulch it. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

McKinley Park's beloved rose garden could use some TLC

Gardens keep growing, whether or not someone is there to care for them.

When that garden is a public landmark dependent on volunteer help, that situation can quickly become problematic.

Home to about 1,200 bushes, McKinley Park’s beloved Memorial Rose Garden needs some TLC. Usually, the 1.5-acre garden on H Street near 33rd Street in East Sacramento has no shortage of helping hands – especially this time of year. Early spring weather prompts rapid growth. Thousands of buds have formed and are about to burst into bloom.

But weeds are growing even faster in the rose beds. If those weeds are not tackled now and the beds mulched, the formal rose garden can turn raggedy in a hurry.

This week, McKinley Park rose garden coordinator Lyn Pitts put out a plea for volunteers to help as they can when they can, practicing social distancing and spacing themselves apart from others. (Such garden chores count as necessary outdoor exercise and the city park is still open to the public.)

Pitts emailed past volunteers to enlist their help. “Sure wish I could call together another volunteer event, but just can't bring any of you guys into harm’s way by assembling a group together,” Pitts wrote. “But there are still plenty of things to do at the Rose Garden that you great volunteers can still do to help!”

The rose garden is home to 1,200 bushes.

Pitts has a long list of beds that need weeding or mulch as well as other garden chores. (Recent rain makes pulling out the nutgrass much easier.) And even though no group events are planned, volunteers can still tackle assignments.

To take part, email Pitts directly at lynpitts@comcast.net .

Considered one of the most romantic spots in Sacramento, the McKinley Park rose garden usually hosts weddings almost every weekend during the late spring and summer. Those events will pick back up once large gatherings are allowed again. Pitts wants to assure that the garden will be ready.

Some roses are already in bloom, particularly one large climber.

“(Longtime volunteers) Bill and Mary Kuyper pruned our Lady Banks rose and did such a fantastic job, it looks great right now,” Pitts said. “Come see it!”

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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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