Rose enthusiasts and avid gardeners will join nursery-industry professionals and commercial growers Friday and Saturday, May 1-2, at UC Davis for the campus’s second annual Rose Day.

“This year’s event has been extended to two days to accommodate more people,” said Melissa Borel, program representative with the California Center for Urban Horticulture. “We will host registered participants on Friday for presentations, tours and a rose sale. Saturday’s event will be open to the public for participation in tours and sale.

“Top industry professionals will again share their insights into the rose business during Friday sessions, and attendees will have the opportunity to visit the campus’s 8-acre rose nursery and purchase fabulous roses,” she said.

Available for sale will be All-American Rose Selection winners, rose varieties to be released in 2010, and classic rose varieties. The roses are made available through donations from Jackson & Perkins, Star Roses and Weeks Roses. The plants have been growing under the care of UC Davis Foundation Plant Services, which provides clean, disease-free stock to growers.

Friday’s program will be held in the UC Davis Activities and Recreation Center. Speakers will offer insights into rose production, hybridization and breeding, marketing, and pest and disease issues. The complete agenda for the day is available at: http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/events/. Registration fee for the day, including breakfast and lunch, will be $75 per person. Tours of UC Davis Foundation Plant Services and the rose sale will be available to registered event participants.

On Saturday, there will be no indoor presentations, but visitors are invited to tour the UC Davis Foundation Plant Services rose nursery and purchase roses. No registration fee will be required, and everyone is welcome to attend this open house.

Rose Day is presented by the California Center for Urban Horticulture, Foundation Plant Services, and the Garden Rose Council. For more information, contact the Web sites of the California Center for Urban Horticulture at http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu and Foundation Plant Services at http://fpms.ucdavis.edu.