The Pittsburgh Rose Society will hold a free rose show and bush auction on today from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the Drew Mathieson Horticulture Center, on the Bidwell Campus in Manchester, North Side.

Hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras and miniature roses will be included in the exhibition. The rose bush auction, with more than 200 plants, will begin at 2 p.m.

More than 20 water gardens will be open for the fifth annual Parade of Ponds this weekend. The self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, good for both days, are $25 per family.

A Garden Gala, a casual dinner party and auction, begins at 6 p.m. today. Tickets are $25 per person. Online tickets, which benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh, are available at www.yourescapes.net. Tickets bought at Soergel Orchards benefit Contact Pittsburgh and tickets from Mars Public Library support the library expansion project. Information: 724-444-POND.