Oregon Grape

To round out Native Plant Appreciation Week here is a cross-stitch my great aunt made in 1984. She had bought the patterns and made one for every state, with the Oregon Grape being the symbol for Oregon. When my husband and I first moved to Oregon I remembered being amazed at all of the vegetation like the Oregon Grape, salal and Nootka Rose, and especially the beautiful Oregon Coast! It was all so different from anything I had grown up around in the mid-west.

Below is a Nootka Rose that we have. It came to our house as just a small plug and sat in front of our garage, still in its little plug, for probably over a year. It pretty much looked dead. But we planted it and it took over. And watch out it because it does take over. It's a bit too much for someone who wants a little control over their garden. Its underground runners pop up all over. I'll have to take a picture of it later when the small pink roses are in bloom.

The Madison Avenue Task Force in Corvallis will hold its annual Spring Garden Festival this Sunday, May 4 in Central Park. I love this festival. Can't wait!