When a homeowner contacted the team at Ask This Old House for help with her rose garden, Jenn Nawada answered the call. But instead of choosing any variety off the shelf, Jenn headed to the International Rose Test Garden. There, she received help from Rachel Burlington, the Botanic Specialist. Rachel taught Jenn some interesting facts about roses, the test garden, and Portland’s love for roses.
Portland’s Love for Roses
Back in 1905, Portland hosted the Lewis and Clark Expo, and to festoon the city, 10,000 Madame Caroline Testout roses were planted along the city streets and parade route. Today, roses line the streets, adorn street signs, and even decorate sidewalks. The city’s obsession with roses carries on as it’s also the home of the International Rose Test Garden.
The International Rose Test Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is over 4.5 acres in size and contains over 10,000 roses in more than 625 varieties—Madame Caroline Testout included. Portland is the ideal location for the test garden, not just for the city’s obsession but also for the warm summers, cool nights, and mild winters.
The test garden’s function is to evaluate rose varieties. Companies will send new varieties and hybrids for the garden to test. The botanists will evaluate the varieties for beauty, the shape of the bush (known as the bush habit), the bloom habit (how quickly it re-blooms), and the flower’s fragrance.
All Dressed Up: The Perfect Rose for the Homeowner
Rachel visited the homeowner’s garden and discussed her ideal rose. She was looking for something pastel in color, so Rachel suggested the rose variety “All Dressed Up.” It’s pink and vigorous, making it a great choice for the homeowner.
Planting Roses: Step-by-Step
The process of planting a rose is fairly simple. You’ll need the rose bush, shovels, and compost for the soil. Then, follow this process:
- While still in the container, place the rose bush in the garden to ensure you’ll like the location.
- Dig a hole that is about as deep as the rose’s soil base. When placed in the hole, the base should be level with the ground.
- Pour some compost into the freshly dug hole to enrich the soil.
- Carefully remove the rose bush from the container and tease the roots loose by hand.
- Place the plant into the hole, ensuring that the top of the soil base is level with the ground.
- Backfill the hole with the removed soil.
- Water the rose into the garden and continue watering regularly until the roots are established.
Resources
Jenn heads to Portland, Oregon to meet up with Rachel Burlington, a Botanic Specialist at the International Rose Test Garden to give a tour of the gardens and discuss the process of rose testing to see how different cultivars thrive in a variety of conditions and for a long period of time.
Rachel suggests that homeowner Catherine should plant a rose variety called All Dressed Up.
To install the rose bush, Jenn and Catherine use digging shovels to dig the hole.