Approximately 300 volunteers are needed for a large-scale city-wide event Saturday, Jan. 14 to revitalize and prune the Rose Garden at Mesa Community College (MCC), 1833 W. Southern Ave. It is the largest public rose garden in the desert southwest and the only significant public rose garden begun since 1974. Winter pruning will stimulate new growth and promote a spring burst of rose buds.
Volunteers must be 14 or older. They must wear closed toed shoes, long pants and a long sleeved shirt and are encouraged to bring their own gloves and pruners, if available. Volunteer check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with the event happening from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Also, 200 rose bushes will be raffled for participating volunteers to take home at the conclusion of the pruning.
The Rose Garden at MCC was established in 1997 in a partnership between MCC and the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society. It was built in phases and currently has nearly 9,000 roses of more than 300 varieties.
Registration is available online at http://bit.ly/2hpApkW. For more information, contact Mesa Citywide Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Alvis-White at (480) 644-3705 or michelle.alvis@mesaaz.gov.
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov