Scripps-Mesa Garden Club Uncategorized Portland International Rose Test Garden

Portland International Rose Test Garden

If you will be in Portland Oregon this summer be sure to check out the rose garden. Admission is free.  On 4.5 acres in Washington Park this garden displays over 10,000 plants from 550 varieties. Most varieties are new since the purpose of this garden is to test new hybrids to decide which are best  for commercial release. Post provided by BB.

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Peruvian DaffodilPeruvian Daffodil

Exotic and fragrant!  If you want a consistent spring bloomer and a bulb that will reward you every spring then you need to plant Peruvian Daffodils Bulbs (Hymenocallis festalis). They love our zone 10A and they are extremely reliable blooming each and every spring. Also, they produce offspring bulbs on a regular basis every year. You plant one Peruvian Daffodil Bulb and within 5 years you’ll probably have six or seven surrounding the original mother bulb.  For some very obvious reasons some people call them, “spider lilies.”

Plants that sustained the British EmpirePlants that sustained the British Empire

There are many plants that fit this description, e.g. tea, anyone? or cinchona the source of the anti-malarial medicine quinine, but here is one I did not know.  Gutta percha.  By the late 1800’s the British Empire was the largest to have existed, spanning the globe from England to India, Malaya, Australia and Canada.  Communication by boat took weeks or months.  The invention of the telegraph and the unique properties of Gutta percha enabled the empire to remain manageable well into the 1900’s.

Enjoy this short video from the BBC

Gutta Percha: The tree that shrunk the world – BBC Reel