Portland has been known as the City of Roses since 1888 when Madame Caroline Testout, a large, bright pink French hybrid tea rose, was first introduced to the city. If you’re looking to begin or expand your East Portland garden, it’s important to know which plants grow best in the area for best chances of success. Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful native plants that grow well in East Portland’s generally mild climate.
Pay attention to planting zones
Planting zones (as devised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) are a handy way to find out the specific plants that will grow easily in your area, with Oregon’s specific growing zones ranging from 4b to 9b. Western Oregon, including Portland, generally has a temperate oceanic climate with cool summers and wet, foggy winters with native plants, such as, baby blue eyes, lady fern, popcornflower, azaleas, awned melic, hupa gooseberry, and marsh violet thriving here throughout the year. Moreover, seasonal planting is also an effective strategy for local businesses looking to improve the exterior appearance of their premises. Since different plants bloom in different months throughout the year, you can plant a nice mix of perennials and annuals to ensure your outdoor space looks good during every season.
Plant roses
Adding roses to your garden is a surefire way to enhance it with elegance and beauty. And, with a little tender love and care, they’re relatively easy to grow. Baldhip rose, Nootka rose, and Woods’ rose, in particular, are three common native rose species in the area. Ideally, your roses should be planted in a sunny area that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day. Ample air circulation is also important, so make sure they’re positioned at least three feet away from other plants with at least five feet also allowed for climbing roses.
Opt for native plants
Not only do native plants add beauty, color, and texture to your garden, but they also require less maintenance and water to grow — which also means less pesticides and fertilizer and a healthier garden. In East Portland, Western Serviceberry (aka Saskatoon), a member of the rose family, is a beautiful native woody shrub. It blooms with pretty white-pink flowers in the spring and small, sweet edible berries in the summer. Although Saskatoon usually grows around 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide on average, it can reach as tall as 30 feet in rich soil. Alternatively, Oregon Grape is another native evergreen flowering shrub with an attractive holly-leaf shaped leaves. Tiny, sweet-swelling, bright yellow flowers bloom in early spring (great for bees and other pollinators), while clusters of blue berries (similar to grapes) fruit in the summer. And, in the winter, coppery-red foliage creates a striking visual contrast against the typically gray landscape.
East Portland’s pleasant, accommodating climate fortunately makes gardening a relatively easy and rewarding task. By paying attention to Oregon’s planting zones and opting for roses and native plants, you can set your gardening efforts up for best chances of success.
