Learn rose care indoors from local experts

It’s time to hone your pruning skills, and this indoor workshop comes with a chili cookoff on the side.

On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Sierra Foothills Rose Society hosts its annual Winter Care Workshop at the Orangevale Grange Hall. Admission is free and no advance registration is necessary.

Master rosarian Baldo Villegas and other society members will present easy-care tips to produce “the healthiest roses and best blooms for months.”

Always a highlight, Baldo will demonstrate his fast-prune method – how to prune a full-size hybrid tea or other large rose in 3 minutes or less.

“This is a hands-on experience, so bring your gloves and pruners,” say the organizers. “Our society is doing our best to continue to provide a safe environment. There will be plenty of room to social distance, and (they’ll be) checking temperatures as you enter.”

The club’s chili cookoff is back, too! After all the rose talk, the conversation turns to chili as several society members vie for the chili cookoff crown. Attendees get to sample and vote for the winner.

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

The schedule:

8:30 a.m. – Doors Open/Registration
9 a.m. – Pruning Tools and Their Care
9:15 a.m. – Pruning Principles and Tips by Rose Types
10 a.m. – Hands On Pruning by Type: Hybrid Teas and Floribundas; Old Garden Roses and Polyanthas; Shrubs and Climbing Roses; and Miniatures and Minifloras.
10:45 a.m. – Roses in the Landscape
11:45 a.m. – Controlling Pests and Diseases in the Garden
12:30 p.m. – Q&A and Chili Cookoff (attendees sample and vote for the best chili)

For more details: http://sierrafoothillsrosesociety.org/.