Learn how to prune a rose bush in under 3 minutes

The hardest part about growing roses? Winter pruning. It’s time to get started on this annual chore.

Any time-saving shortcuts are always appreciated, and an excellent workshop that’s coming up soon is packed with such tips — plus a lot more.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, join members of the Sierra Foothills Rose Society for their annual Winter Rose Care Workshop. It’s offered free and is open to the public; no advance registration necessary.

Don’t worry about the weather; pruning demonstrations and other presentations will all be held indoors at the Orangevale Grange auditorium. The morning starts at 9 a.m. and wraps up about 12:30 p.m. – with a chili cookoff. Stick around to sample the entries and pick a winner.

Highlighting the workshop will be master rosarian and noted “bug man” Baldo Villegas with a demonstration of how to prune a full-size mature hybrid tea rose bush in less than 3 minutes. His technique can be adapted to roses of all kinds and sizes.

But this workshop goes way beyond quick tips on pruning.

“The informative and fun workshop will cover many topics including pruning tools and their care, pruning principles and will also include hands-on pruning by type of rose conducted by experienced rosarians,” say the organizers.

“A health care professional will provide an essential session about precautions and personal protection for gardeners while caring for roses. Information on controlling pests and diseases will be presented by a renowned entomologist. Additionally, a PowerPoint presentation about excellent roses for our area will follow.

“A raffle for highly desirable roses and/or tools will be held toward the end of the session, which will add to the fun. A highly competitive chili cook-off (made by members) will follow the workshop; attendees will judge the chili and the winner will be announced near the close of the workshop.”

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

More details: http://sierrafoothillsrosesociety.org/