January 29, 2013

The oldest public rose garden in Portland is turning 100 this June!

Portland Parks & Recreation has replaced 3,000 roses in Peninsula Park with beautiful new, more disease resistant roses for the Centennial celebration.

Right now the garden is full of stakes that mark where the 3,000 donated roses will be planted. Groups of volunteers are fertilizing the spot where each plant will be set in the soil.

The planting will begin in February, and PP&R needs your help! We are looking for 30 volunteers on February 19-21 to help plant the roses.

The roses were generously donated by Weeks Roses, Star Roses and Baileys Nursery, but the garden still needs some support for an essential piece of the garden. The garden needs mulch – a lot of it. Mulch is critical to keep moisture and warmth in the soil, and protect the roses from midges, a parasite that attacks the plants.

To volunteer to plant roses, please send an email to penrosevolunteers@gmail.com. To learn more about the Centennial, or make a contribution to the mulch fund, visit www.portlandparksfoundation.org.