NATCHEZ — A midwinter workshop on rose care is planned Feb. 7-8 at the Natchez Grand Hotel.

The program is being hosted for members of the American Rose Society, Master Gardeners, home gardeners and others interested in roses, said LSU AgCenter horticulture professor Allen Owings.

Registration for the workshop opens Monday. Registration including both the Friday night dinner and Saturday program is $60. Saturday-only registration is $35.

Mississippi and Louisiana rose society presidents and Gulf District board members will meet Feb. 7. An evening buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. will include entertainment provided by illusionist David Himelrick, who is also a horticulture professor at the LSU AgCenter.

Educational programs will begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 8 with presentations on rose-related topics. A luncheon will feature 2013 Gulf District award presentations.

The keynote speaker will be Mark Windham, plant pathologist at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., who will address rose diseases.

Other speakers will include Don Adlong with the Central Arkansas Rose Society; Leo Watermeier, curator of the Armstrong Park Rose Garden in New Orleans; Mississippi State University entomologist Blake Layton; Jim Mills with K and M Rose Nursery in Buckatunna; Tim and Cindy Riley with the Mississippi Old Garden Rose Society, and rose hybridizer Gene King from Monroe, La.

The program will include a silent auction, and new roses from K and M Rose Nursery will be available for purchase.

More information and a registration form for the workshop is available from Owings by calling 985-543-4125 or by email to aowings@agcenter.lsu.edu