Chrysanthemum Show Sweepstakes Award

Jeff MacDonald of Mt. View, CA, was the winner of the sweepstakes award at the recent National Chrysanthemum Show held at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas, OR.  Jeff, a former resident of Portland and Vancouver (WA), was very active in both local chrysanthemum societies when he lived here.  In his Mt. View garden, Jeff grows about 250 different chrysanthemum plants of which about 150 are in pots and 100 in the ground.  He is a regular participant in chrysanthemum shows along the west coast and is well known for his winning skills in growing mums.  This year he drove to this national show with 58 flowering chrysanthemums, all in individual vases, in his car.  His best in show flower was “Quan Yon Hung”, a pink irregular incurve with purple on the inside of each floret.  Of a total of 31 trophies in this show, Jeff won 17, plus 41 blue ribbons.   Congratulations Jeff!  The sweepstakes winner, “Quan Yon Hung” was purchased as a small plant last spring from Kings Mums in Oregon City.  https://www.kingsmums.com/

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Rose Hips

With the mild weather we have had this fall, many rose bushes are still flowering and providing an array of color.  However, it will not be long until we get cool weather and rain which will turn the flowers to mush.  A feature of some roses that is often overlooked is the color that they can bring to the fall and winter garden with their colorful hips.  One of my favorites is Rose glauca, which is one of the most trouble-free roses in my garden.  Rose glauca has single pink flowers in spring, but perhaps the most known feature of this rose is the foliage which is a gray-green color.  It is a large growing shrub and so needs plenty of room to spread.  One of the plants in my garden is 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and with the interesting foliage, it draws much attention from garden visitors in the summer.  The added bonus for Rose glauca is at this time of year the hips will have turned red and they create some beautiful fall color.  If you have space for a large shrub that will provide interest for most of the year, consider Rose glauca.

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National Chrysanthemum Society Show

"The Beauty of the Northwest" is the theme of the National Chrysanthemum Society Conference and Show which is to be hosted in our area for the first time since 1958.  It is thus understandable that members of Portland’s local chrysanthemum society are excited about this national show being held here.  Visitors can expect to view hundreds of exhibition chrysanthemum flowers coming from not only growers in Portland, but from Sacramento, Tacoma, Seattle and even from the east coast.  If you have never seen the diversity of chrysanthemum flowers, you have a big surprise in store you.  The Show is being held at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas (12566 SE 93rd).  There will be special hours for the public to attend the show.  On Saturday, October 27, it will be open to the public from 1pm-5pm and on Sunday, October 28, from 10am-4pm.  Admission is free.  If you have ever thought about growing chrysanthemums, here is your opportunity to learn first-hand where to get the best plants and tips on growing.

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Sourwood Tree

For a tree that delivers fall color in a spectacular manner, it is hard to top Oxydendrum arboreum (Sourwood Tree).  A native of the eastern U.S., this medium size (20-25 ft) deciduous tree has flowers in the summer with drooping white fragrant flowers in clusters.  In the spring as the new leaves emerge, they have a bronze tint and then turn green.  Then in the fall, the leaves turn red, orange and purple and this color combination can all be on the same tree.  Sourwood needs well drained soil and likes our acidic conditions.  It does not perform well where it has to compete with other plants and is not a good lawn tree.  Give Sourwood its’ own space and you will have year round interest as the bare branches in winter have a slight pendulous appearance and look great with a spot light from the ground showing the silhouette.  The photo shown here was taken one year ago at a garden where I first saw this tree ablaze with color.

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