Happy Summer! Welcome July and sunny warm weather! We are well into the season of roses, roses and rose shows! What amazingly abundant and beautiful roses are blooming throughout Portland area gardens everywhere! No matter where I go, either walking or driving in the area, I see the cascade of roses blooming in gardens. Perhaps one of those gardens might be yours! To quote an old song title “Everything is Coming up Roses!” In the last 2 months especially, I have had such wonderful opportunities to see several beautiful rose gardens. As PRS President, during official rose plantings with the Royal Rosarian Red Cape team, I water the newly planted rose. This year the rose bushes are the beautiful dark red “Mister Lincoln.” We have done rose plantings at Peninsula Park, assisted Care Facilities in Milwaukie and Hillsboro, the City of Tillamook Rose Garden and Spokane’s Manito Park, with more to come. I also participated as one of the judges for the Royal Rosarian Rose Garden contest in early June. I found it an honor to have the opportunity to view these beautiful well-loved and cared for rose gardens teeming with amazing spectrums of blooms and color.
Another wonderful experience occurred on the afternoon after the Grand Floral Parade as I arrived over 30 minutes early at
the International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park for a rose bed dedication. Even on that Saturday afternoon with so many visitors at the garden, I found it so serene and lovely in the midst of the vast rose beauties and wafting fragrances to just “stop and smell the roses.” I attempted to capture some photos, and to also store in my memory the afternoon’s panorama of color and the stunning
surroundings. Soon August will arrive and with it the mini show on Saturday, August 5th. Not far behind is our PRS Fall Rose show on September 16th and 17th. I hope you are planning to attend, show your roses and perhaps volunteer. Just as your roses and rose gardens bring color, beauty and joy to you and your neighborhood, you and your roses also bring joy and beauty to the rose shows.
See you there.
Kathy
