McKinley Park rose garden needs volunteers

Love to prune? Want to learn? McKinley Park’s famous Memorial Rose Garden is the place to be.

Volunteers are needed to finish pruning the beloved garden’s 1,200 roses – then maintain the roses through spring and summer.

No advance registration is needed. Just show up with thorn-resistant gloves, closed-toe shoes and maybe rain gear; these events are rain or shine.

Pruning sessions will start at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday in January plus Feb. 10 and 17. In addition, the pruning crew will be out at 8:30 Wednesday, Jan. 17. After a morning of pruning, the volunteers are provided lunch.

“Volunteers should plan to meet at the Rose Garden,” say the organizers. “Tools, gloves and instruction will be provided. Please dress appropriately for working outdoors, including closed-toe shoes.”

On the south edge of McKinley Park, the Frederick N. Evans Memorial Rose Garden – named for Sacramento’s first parks superintendent – is located on H Street between Alhambra Boulevard and 33rd Street in East Sacramento. Originally planted in 1929, the rose garden replaced what was a running track (hence its oblong shape). In 2012, the bushes were almost entirely replaced with newer, disease-resistant varieties.

For the pruning events, volunteers are asked to assemble at the park’s Rose Garden Room, the small structure located on the north side of the garden. The sessions are expected to last until 11:30 a.m. each day.

McKinley Park’s rose garden also needs volunteers to help maintain the bushes throughout their blooming season.

Questions? Email sacrecreation@cityofsacramento.org or rosegardenvolunteer@cityofsacramento.org.