February 13. 2013____________________ The port|a n d O bserver Black History Month Alberta North Portland 100 Years ! Replanting for a centennial celebration Portland Parks and Recre ation and Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden will welcome volunteers to help with planting nearly 3,200 new, hardy, dis- ease-resistant roses in Portland’s oldest public rose garden at Pen insula Park. The varieties of roses being planted are designed not just to be durable, but sweetly fragrant and remarkably gorgeous. Starting Tuesday, Feb. 19 and continuing through Friday, Feb. 22, the massive planting will en hance the garden ahead of the north Portland landmark’s cen tennial celebration this June. The P eninsula Rose G arden and nearby Peninsula Community Center are celebrating 100 years of serving Portland. The rose garden, the first of its kind in the city, is a world wide tourist draw, picnic area, neighborhood destination and wildly popular wedding site. Oregon State University Mas ter Gardeners are partners in the planting project. Baileys Nurs ery, W eeks Roses, and Star Roses have all donated roses to plant, a retail value o f approxi mately $100,000. W ilbur Ellis donated 4.5 tons of lime, a nearly $2,000 value - all of which has been applied to the beds. Portland Parks & Recreation and the newly formed Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden are working to raise about $15,000 to install a thick mulch layer for the new roses. The mulch will hold moisture and provide a bar rier against pests such as the rose midge. Donations are welcome! You can send a check to the Portland Parks Foundation, 111S. W. Oak St., Suite 400, Portland, OR, 97204, with “Peninsula Park Rose Garden” in the memo line. O r you can donate online at portlandparksfoundation.org. me peninsula Park Hose Garden at Norti Ainsworth Street and Albina Avenue. v v iu in c c i ic u iu v c s uiu ru ses rrom in preparation ror repiantin Portland’s oldest public rose garden. Page II