January -- time to stop and prune the roses

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As most gardeners know, rose bushes do best if they are pruned in the winter -- January and February to be precise. But even experienced gardeners can find proper rose pruning a thorny problem.

Fortunately, demonstrations on Jan. 9 at two public gardens offer hands-on help that will promote the health and beauty of your roses throughout the year: Bring your garden gloves and a sharp pair of pruning shears to the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Gardens when Jill Morganelli, curator of the Arboretum Rose Garden, leads a hands-on workshop on pruning.

Morganelli also will talk about disease control and soil building, from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission is $20 for Arboretum members and $22 non-members. Call (626) 821-4623 or pay at the door. 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia.

At Descanso Gardens, Rosarium horticulturalist Amanda Everett will offer her pruning demonstration beginning at 10 a.m. Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. (818) 949-4200. Free with garden admission, $3 to $8.

And while we’re on the subject of roses, the Huntington hosts its 10th annual ‘Great Rosarians of the World’ lecture series with Michael Marriott of David Austin Roses on Jan. 24. Tickets are $40 and include a weekend of activities and hands-on rose propagation workshop. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, (626) 405-2100. For more information, click here.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits from top: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times; Christine Cotter/Los Angeles Times