Rose Pruning Demonstration at the Balboa Park Rose Garden. Bring your pruners, gloves, loppers and a bucket! This event is free and open to the public. Arrive at 9am. Consulting Rosarians and Rose Garden Corps Members will do the demonstrating, then each individual will be able to practice pruning roses at the garden under the supervision of the volunteers.
Plan on being there! It will help you with better pruning results for your own roses and, even if you are an experienced pruner, it will probably increase your efficiency a bit, too. It is not only a nice refresher, but it’s just in time for the start of pruning season—wondering when it’s the best time to start pruning? Right after our Balboa Park Demo!
The UC Master Gardeners Tool Care Committee will be joining us at the demonstration again this year. They will be setting up a sharpening booth to offer one free pruner sharpening per person and they will offer little “how-to” tutorials for keeping your pruners sharp as you work in the garden.
In addition to our experienced Consulting Rosarians and Rose Garden Corps Members who do the demonstrating, we need a number of greeters to liaison with members of the public, making them feel welcome as they arrive and helping us connect them with demonstration groups.
The greater our volunteer to participant ratio is, the more successful this popular event is, so Please Consider Volunteering to Help! You can click here to volunteer!
If you are either a demonstrator or a greeter volunteer, please arrive by 8:30. Volunteers will get donuts!
You will find us near the fountain and the bridge that goes from the Natural History Museum to the north side of the Rose Garden. You can park in the lots on the west side of Park Blvd and walk across the bridge or at one of the soon to be installed street meters; either way, don’t forget to pay-parking charges start at 8:00 a.m. Tell your rose friends and neighbors to come check the demonstration out!
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Balboa Park parking updates as of 12/24/25:
Paid parking in Balboa Park is scheduled to start January 5, 2026.
Meters will be installed on roads within the park including Balboa Drive, El Prado, Juniper Road, Presidents Way, Quince Drive, Zoo Drive and Village Place Drive (between The Nat and Casa del Prado). Meter rates will be $2.50 per hour, up to $10 a day and will be enforced between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.
Verified residents of the City of San Diego will be able to park in Balboa Park parking lots at a discounted rate. The discounted rates will apply to daily parking in the Balboa Park parking lots and to parking passes, but will not apply to parking meters on the roads within or near the park.
ADA Accessible Parking will continue to be free, with no time limit, at parking meters in and near Balboa Park for those with a Disabled Person license plate or placard. Free ADA parking will also be available in the parking lots while parked in the blue parking spaces marked for disabled parking.
Advance registration via an online portal is required. There will be a one-time $5 fee to register, and one form of residence verification will be needed, such as a driver’s license, vehicle registration or utility bill. Residents will also be asked to enter their vehicle’s license plate number. The resident verification process could take up to 48 hours.
The online portal to register for parking passes and discounts is still in development and will be added to the city website page at a later date.
Level 1 lots: Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, Palisades, Bea Evenson (between The Nat and Park Blvd) and South Carousel (Spanish Art Village lot). The Pepper Grove lot is a Level 2 Lot but has the same rates.
The Level 1 rate for verified residents is $5 for up to four hours and $8 for a full day. The nonresident rate is $10 for up to four hours and $16 for a full day.
Starting January 5, 2026, this is how to pay for parking in a lot.
Find a Kiosk: Look for meter kiosks in parking lots and on park roads.
Enter License Plate: You'll enter your vehicle's license plate at the kiosk, as your payment is tied to it.
Pay: Use credit cards, debit cards, or NFC mobile payments (like Apple/Google Pay) at the kiosks. Cash is not accepted at kiosks.
Add Time: If you need more time, you can add it later at any kiosk by entering the same license plate.