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A visit to Chickadee Gardens

I was excited to finally get to see Chickadee Gardens last week. I have followed Tamara's blog  for years. She and her husband garden on 2 acres in Saint Helens, Oregon.  When you look at the map, it appears that St. Helens is directly across the Columbia River and slightly to the north of us. However, there is no convenient bridge to get over to the Oregon side. You must go north to Ridgefield, Washington (about 30 minutes north of our house) and go across there  or travel through Portland and then go north through Scappoose. Either way, it is about a 45 minute drive. I decided to try the Ridgefield route and I was glad I did. Not only did I not have to contend with Portland traffic (it was Rose Parade weekend), I got to see country on the Oregon side that was new to me.  Tamara used to work at the beautiful Joy Creek Nursery (my favorite, but alas they are now closed) and she now works part-time at Cistus Nursery.  She focuses on native plants and sustainabili...
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Some of the David Austin Roses



A look at some of the David Austin roses in our garden.

'Golden Celebration' was moved from its previous spot where I was growing it as a shrub. There, it was a robust presence but the blooms had a tendency to flop so I am putting it next to an arbor so that it can climb. The clematis 'Chevalier' is growing with it and they make a striking combination.



'Lady Emma Hamilton' is just exquisite and I love the dark red stems. I've noticed that this rose has an unusual tendency to begin blooming from the bottom up. Blackspot has been an issue with it but not bad enough is disown her. The color is just outstanding.

'Lady Emma Hamilton'

'Lady Emma Hamilton'


'Lady of Shallot' is an early bloomer. These photos were taken about a month ago. This is one of the largest roses in the garden. It stands about 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

'Lady of Shallot'




The reviews drew me in for 'Olivia Rose' and it is a nice, delicate, light pink color. However, they don't seem to last very long and the shrub itself is a bit lax and unruly. The jury is still out on this one. I have discovered though that roses can take on a completely different character in their second year.

'Olivia Rose'

'Mary Rose' is doing extremely well -

'Mary Rose'


'Mary Rose'


'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' - I probably have too many red roses and I confess that the name drew me to this one. I loved the novel and wrote a research paper on it in college.


'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'


'Darcey Bussell' just added this year. This one is supposed to be a smaller, compact bush -


'Darcey Bussell'


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. chavlinessJune 19, 2020 at 11:05 AM

    I do wish you added a photograph of 'Golden Celebration' match up with clematis 'Chevalier'. It sounds amazing (maybe next post). I almost thought 'Mary Rose' was a peony: so very fluffy. No matter how many red roses you have, 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' must stay, if nothing else then for the nostalgia.

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowJune 19, 2020 at 12:24 PM

    A rose lovers dream. I really like Lady Emma H with the red stems. Olivia looks like what I would say 'blousey'. Pretty to me. I bet she takes up more space than you might want her to.

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