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A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Heirloom Roses (St. Paul, Oregon)

heirloom-roses-1
When we first started our garden in Alabama, we fell in love with antique roses. We ended up with a hundred or so and some of them came from Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon by mail order. Now that we are living in Washington state, Heirloom Roses, as well as many of the other great plant nurseries, are within driving distance.

Last week, we drove down to St. Paul, about 45 minutes south of Portland, to see the nursery and the display gardens. The Oregon countryside is absolutely gorgeous. It is just one farm after another. Fields of fruit orchards, grapes, hops, conifers, blueberries, and strawberries are just a few of the crops that we passed on our way.

It has been a while since I purchased roses. The first thing I've noticed is that they are much more expensive now. Heirloom's roses are $40 for a gallon pot and $27 for a quart sized pot. Actually, if you are ordering by mail, this is a good deal because they do not charge extra for shipping. I was a bit surprised though that the roses at their retail nursery are the same price! We could not find the roses we wanted at the nursery (they had an open house the previous weekend and had sold out of most of their varieties) but after we got home, I visited their website and they were available. I guess they have a separate inventory for mail-order. Anyway, I ordered a few and actually thought that the roses that arrived later in the mail looked better than the ones they had in their greenhouse. So, if you are shopping at Heirloom, I could recommend mail-order.

On the other hand, if you actually visit, you get to see their beautiful display gardens. Here are a few photos. 
 heirloom-roses-4 heirloom-roses-7 heirloom-roses-10 heirloom-roses-11 heirloom-roses-12 heirloom-roses-8 heirloom-roses-6 heirloom-roses-5 heirloom-roses-2 Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. When I see roses like this I crave them but I have never had a rose that grew like this. I have given up on them.

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