San Mateo County Rose Society

Our Mission

The Society exists to promote the culture, preservation and appreciation of the Rose, and to improve its standard of excellence for all people, through education and research.

Click here for our President’s Message

January 2026 San Mateo Garden Center Pruning

Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at the San Mateo Garden Center

Come to prune the San Mateo Garden Center’s beautiful rose garden in preparation for the spring! Please bring gloves, pruners, weeding tools, and a stool, if sitting is easier for you.

January 2026 Pruning Events

Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at Shell Blvd/Farragut Park

This year we will have our winter pruning at TWO locations: the roses along Shell Blvd and E Hillsdale Blvd (next to the under-construction Foster City Recreation Center), and the roses at Farragut Park. Don’t forget to bring gloves, pruners, and a container for green waste! Contact Yvonne Liu at yvonneliu@hotmail.com or (650) 422-8118 to sign up.

January 2026 Board Meeting

Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the San Mateo Garden Center

MEMBERS ONLY: Come to discuss the plans for our Rose Society this upcoming year!

Old Roses for the Modern Garden by Anita Clevenger

Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the San Mateo Garden Center

Heritage roses have a place in modern, water-efficient gardens. They are hardy survivors that have stood the test of time, bringing to the garden beauty, romance, fragrance and a connection to the past. They grow in a great variety of shapes and sizes, some only blooming once, but many blooming throughout the year. Many varieties are especially adapted to California's climate and grow trouble-free and rewarding. Come learn about them, and maybe you will fall in love!

About the Speaker

Anita Clevenger volunteered from 2003-2019 in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery’s former Historic Rose Garden, serving as its manager and curator of this award-winning site. While many roses are still in the cemetery, the rose garden no longer exists as a volunteer-supported entity. Anita continues to work to preserve rare and historic heritage roses by teaching about them, propagating them, passing them along to collectors and commercial vendors, and mentoring gardens where heritage roses are grown. She is the Vice President for Publications of the Heritage Rose Foundation, and the chief editor of its newsletter. She is a Lifetime Sacramento County UC Master Gardener and has written many articles about roses and general gardening for publications around the world. She is a member of the ARS "Save the Ramblers" committee.

San Mateo County Fair 2025 Results

Click to see our pictures here:

San Mateo County Fair 2024 Results

The SMCRS won 1st Place in the San Mateo County Fair’s “Balcony” Plant Display competition! See our pictures here:

As always, we are still looking for rose-loving volunteers to:

  • Represent the San Mateo Rose County Society on social media

    • Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

  • Help with online accounting and financial management

  • Staff open Sundays (2nd & 4th of each month) at the San Mateo Garden Center from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

    • Duties include:

      • Holding rose propagation workshops

      • Managing plant sales

      • Oversee rose garden pruning