2018 American Peony Society Tours Portland Rose Garden

The next and last stop on the American Peony Society 2018 Convention Tour was the Portland Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. While there were some roses blooming, I wasn't as impressed with the rose garden as I'd expected. Maybe it was because we were just before their peak bloom season. So most of their roses weren't open yet. Or maybe it was because I thought the garden would be larger than it was. Or maybe it was because the tour we were on was guided, and we didn't get to see the whole thing, only the parts our tour guide took us too. Our tour guide was very nice and seemed quite knowledgeable about the garden. She told us about how they kept a garden of every rose that won the Rose Society's yearly award. She told us about how they had a Rose Festival every year, and there was a Rose Queen crowned each year, a young lady who is judged on intellect and contribution to society instead of her physical appearance.
Yellow Rose
Our tour guide also told us about their spray programs at the rose garden - both insecticides and fungicides to keep the bugs and rose diseases at bay. It was all quite informative, but I do much prefer peonies to roses. Even though peonies' bloom season is much shorter than roses, they do not require all of those chemicals to keep them looking nice and pest free. I think I'd like to visit Portland Rose Garden again sometime in the future during their peak bloom season to see more of the roses in bloom and have a chance to explore the garden in whole on my own, at my leisure. It seemed like a nice place to visit, a public park that anyone can go to visit at any time for free. What a nice benefit for the citizens of Portland. I was also told that many marriage proposals and weddings happen in the Portland Rose Garden as well. How lovely!
Purple Roses
Please Note: The rose photos included in this article are actually ones I took during the 2018 American Peony Society Convention Sebright Gardens Tour. I forgot my camera (and phone!) on the tour bus during the Rose Garden Tour. So I wasn't able to capture any photos at the Portland Rose Garden.

2018 Fina Gardens Order Peony 'Nice Gal' and Peony 'Super Gal'

2018 Fina Gardens Order
The first peony order I'm placing after returning from the 2018 American Peony Society Convention in Portland, Oregon is with Fina Gardens for Peony 'Nice Gal' and Peony 'Super Gal'. No, Fina Gardens wasn't on the APS Convention Tour, (they're in Wisconsin, not Oregon) but they do have peony I saw on the tour, plus another similarly named one I'd seen on a previous APS Convention Tour. I just saw the Peony 'Super Gal' during the 2018 American Peony Society Tours Oregon Perennial Company. This peony was growing in Piet's personal garden right next to his home, and I really loved it. The photo below is one I took in his garden during the tour. Gorgeous, right?
Peony 'Super Gal'
2018 American Peony Society Oregon Perennial Company Tour
It reminded me of the Peony 'Nice Gal' that I had seen in Kentucky during the 2015 American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Tour. According the the APS Cultivar Registry, Peony 'Nice Gal' was hybridized by Krekler and registered in 1965. Peony 'Terrific Gal' and Peony 'Super Gal' are both hybridized by Klehm and were registered in 1995 and 2000, respectively. I'm wondering if Peony 'Nice Gal' was one of the parents in the Klehm hybrids, since the APS registrations don't reveal that detail. Moreover, it seems that Peony 'Nice Gal' and Peony 'Super Gal' seem to be my favorites out of the bunch. So I was happy to be able to place an order with Fina Gardens for both of these "gals" at the same time. Also I don't think I've ever placed an order with Fina Gardens before. So this will be a good opportunity to evaluate their goods.
Peony 'Nice Gal'
2015 American Peony Society Whitehall Mansion Tour

2018 American Peony Society Dines at McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

Imbrie Hall
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse
American Peony Society 2018 Convention Tour

McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse Sign
During our second tour day of the American Peony Society annual convention, almost two weeks ago now, we dined at McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro, Oregon for lunch. The food was delicious and very fresh! We dined on make your own tacos or nachos with all of the toppings - sauteed beef or chicken with peppers and onions, rice, beans, cheeses, salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Since our group was so large, we had a large party tent and several tables set up right behind it in the grass too. I ate outside the tent in the garden, and it was the perfect day to do so. The food was delicious, and there were several drink selections as well. They had a bar set up inside the tent where you could purchase local Oregon-made brews and wines to go with your meal. There was also lemonade, water and tea set up for self service.
Garden Party Tent
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

Lemonade, Tea, Water
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

Fresh Mexican Buffet
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse
All of the APS Members seemed to enjoy themselves at the lunch in the beautiful surroundings. I just wished I'd had a little bit more time to explore the gardens and the historic farmhouse from the 1840s on the property, which is now known as Imbrie Hall (named after the original owners of the property). Apparently the McMenamins like to purchase historic properties and turn them into dining and event venues. It is their way of helping to preserve them for future generations and making them available for the community's enjoyment - what a novel idea. After lunch Lore, the 2018 APS Convention Chair, talked with everyone about the Portland Rose Garden and options for exploring the other connecting Portland parks if you wanted to stay at the park longer than the tour buses would be there. All in all McMenamins provided a nice respite and a tasty lunch!
APS Members Chatting After Lunch
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

Lore Explaining Afternoon Tour Options
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

Red Container Planting
McMenamins Cornelious Pass Roadhouse

2018 American Peony Society Tours Flora Wonder Arboretum

Potted Evergreens and Succulents
Flora Wonder Arboretum
American Peony Society 2018 Convention Tour
When we first got off the bus at the Flora Wonder Arboretum and Buchholz & Buchholz Nursery, I wasn't really impressed (maybe because there weren't any peonies in sight), but as we started to walk around and discover so many beautiful and interesting plant varieties, my appreciation began to grow. I fell for all of the potted miniature landscapes and couldn't stop taking pictures of them! They reminded me a bit of fairy gardens - without the fairies. A tiny world growing in one pot. The photos I took here are just amazing, which speaks to the talent of the amazing gardeners there. Click on any of the photos to see a much larger and detailed version!
Pumice Planters, Potted Succulents with Dead Wood
Flora Wonder Arboretum

Potted Succulents, Pumice Stones with Dead Wood Stumps
Flora Wonder Arboretum

Succulents Planted in Stone and Gravel
Flora Wonder Arboretum
I was told that this nursery is not usually open for tours, but we were somehow lucky enough to snag one. Apparently one of their specialties are something they call "Flora Wonder Pumice Planters". Many of the APS Members were wild about them, but to me they were just plants in a rock. :-P What I really liked was their use of dead wood in many of their arrangements. I just felt drawn to it, the white sun-bleached branches and stumps really caught my eye. Aside from their potted plants, there was also a large garden behind their sales office with rock-lined gravel pathways. The garden was a mix of Japanese maples, evergreens, and flowering shrubs.
Carnivorous Pitcher Plants
Flora Wonder Arboretum

Flora Wonder Arboretum Garden

Peony 'Cheddar Supreme'
Flora Wonder Arboretum
I did manage to find a couple of peonies right behind the sales office. The one that stood out the most to me, and seemed to be in a nice stage of bloom at the time was Peony 'Cheddar Supreme', which I do not grow, but may need to add to my list. However despite all of the plant loveliness, I must say that my favorite part of the Flora Wonder Arboretum tour was finding this beautiful horse after traipsing through all of the greenhouses. It was a white horse with a trace of gray, with a gray main and tail, just gorgeous, and standing in a field of yellow flowers. I whistled to him, and he turned around to look at me. After examining each other for a bit, I whistled again and he approached me. I was estaic when he came close enough for me to sweet talk him and pet him a bit. I saw he'd been eating some grass in the field. So I reached down to pick some for him, and he ate it from my hand. So endearing.
Horse in Field of Yellow Flowers
Flora Wonder Arboretum

Mike Miller and Me
Flora Wonder Arboretum

Kris Jurik, Jeff & Jennifer Harvey, Scott Parker
Flora Wonder Arboretum
The comments made by APS members while at the Flora Wonder Arboretum were all positive affirmations of amazement and wonder at what the Buchholz owners have created in their little corner of the world. If you like Japanese Maples, succulents, and/or evergreens and ever get the opportunity to take a tour, jump! There were so many varieties of Japanese maples in their greenhouses, probably more unique and different varieties than I have even seen in one location (and I've been to Japan and toured a garden with a Japanese maple collection - so that's saying something). APS Members found their fair share of "flora treasures" to take home with them while on the tour, that for many will be once in a lifetime!
APS Members with their Flora Treasures
Flora Wonder Arboretum

2018 American Peony Society Tours Lan Su Chinese Garden

Lan Su Chinese Garden
American Peony Society 2018 Convention Tour
The next day, the American Peony Society 2018 Convention attendees toured the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon. I guess I was a little surprised at the scale. I think I'd imagined it would be larger, but I also didn't realize it was downtown. The whole garden was contained within one square city block. It would definitely provide a nice respite from the day to day office worries. I wish I had a garden like this within walking distance of my office. I'm guessing the smaller scale made it easier to maintain. I commented in the garden that Lan Su Chinese Garden contained authentic Chinese hardscapes, with the American eye for maintenance. It was better maintained than many of the gardens I'd toured in China.
Chinese Classical Garden Rocks
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Despite the size, the garden remained true to the Chinese garden style of Suzhou, China - which is quite different than the Chinese garden style in Luoyang, China. In Suzhou, just like Lan Su, the garden is set up as if it was a courtyard with a gate surrounding the whole thing, and the buildings of the home around the edges of the courtyard. There is usually a water feature or pond of some sort, and the special rocks imported from a particular area of China where the limestone eroded in the rocks leaving an irregular form with holes throughout, forming a natural art sculpture. The Suzhou gardens feature a few tree peonies, here and there for effect, but not many. The Luoyang gardens are all about peonies, and they are everywhere. The Lan Su Chinese garden featured all of the elements of the Classical Gardens in Suzhou, and like the Suzhou gardens there were a couple of tree peonies, but not many. The tree peonies had all finished blooming before our tour, so you may not have even noticed them unless you were really looking.
Erwin, David Michener, and Win
Lan Su Chinese Garden

Me, LaDonna, and Vince
Lan Su Chinese Garden
The APS members all seemed to enjoy themselves, the break from color overload was nice to quiet the mind and spirit. After passing through the garden gate, the first building in the garden welcomed the APS members with a light breakfast buffet of fruits - blueberries, strawberries, melons, and pineapple, some assorted pastries - muffins, croissants, and turnovers, and coffee or tea. The nice weather with a bit of cloud cover provided APS members the opportunity to sit and chat while enjoying their light breakfast in the garden surrounded by the peaceful views.
Chinese Pagodas in the City
Lan Su Chinese Garden

Chinese Garden Gate
Lan Su Chinese Garden

Chinese Tea House
Lan Su Chinese Garden
The second building at the far back of the garden served as the Lan Su Chinese Garden's tea house, serving light snacks and tea during normal business hours. The tea house was filled with traditional Chinese furnishings and decor, but it was not yet open. Since we came early in the day, the APS members were able to enjoy the garden exclusively to ourselves. We found a few animals in this garden to entertain us as well. There were many colors of koi fish in the large pond frolicking about, and a great blue heron watched from the edges of the pond and then perched itself high above the garden on the corner precipice of the pagoda roof. I think everyone had a nice time here if nothing else, but to sit and relax. One APS member even felt compelled to find his zen by practicing some Tai Chi in the garden.
Great Blue Heron
Lan Su Chinese Garden

Edward Practicing Tai Chi
Lan Su Chinese Garden