Polk County itemizer observer., April 06, 2016, Page 7A, Image 7

Polk County
Living
Polk County itemizer-Observer • April 6, 2016 7A
TREES, SHRUBS,
GRASS, OH MY
Emily mEntzEr/itemizer-Observer
Ross “Rocky” Paratore grew up in the nursery business. He has owned and operated Rocky Mountain Nursery since the mid-’90s, container planting since 2000.
Rocky Mountain Nursery one-stop shop for professional, novice landscapers
By Emily Mentzer
the itemizer-Observer
Emily mEntzEr/itemizer-Observer
Rocky Mountain Nursery has plenty of bee friendly plants.
INDEPEND-
ENCE — Right off
Highway 51 is Rocky
Mountain Nursery, a
gardener’s paradise.
With more than five
acres of potted plants,
bring a good pair of
walking shoes and
some imagination.
It also helps to do a
little research first.
“We don’t have
one-on-one service,”
said Orlene Perkins,
office manager.
They try to answer
as many questions as
possible, she said,
and plant placement
at the nursery can
help people know
where to plant them
at home.
“Anything in this
open area tolerates
full sun,” she said.
“Anything in the hoop
houses with the
shade cloth on it
grows in shade.”
The nursery has of-
fered container plants
on both a wholesale
and retail basis since
2000. Owner Ross
“Rocky” Paratore
grew up in the nurs-
ery business.
“My dad had a re-
tail nursery for years,”
Paratore said. “I’ve
been doing this all my
life.”
The nursery sup-
plies plants for land-
scapers throughout
the Pacific Northwest,
Perkins said. But that
doesn’t mean they’re
not open for the
novice.
Saturdays are the
busiest days for retail,
she said.
It would be com-
mon to see five or six
trucks being loaded
up.
With a milder win-
ter, Rocky’s business
has been steady —
and busy — Perkins
said.
“Typically, January
and February would
be kind of quiet,” she
said. “But that didn’t
happen this time. We
haven’t slowed down.”
Near the entrance
of the nursery, small-
er shrubs and flowers
can be found, all in a
line and easy to pe-
ruse. A trail toward
the Willamette River
leads to more lots
filled with trees, fruit
trees and bamboo.
Visitors may walk
around, or take their
car to the lower lots.
While on their quest
to find the perfect
plants for their land-
scape, they can take
a break on a bench
overlooking the
river.
Paratore grows fruit
trees on the property.
“When you come
out and walk around,
you can pick fruit off
the trees and eat
them,” Perkins said.
People may pull
whatever plants they
Emily mEntzEr/itemizer-Observer
Shannon Maroney and Malinda Bermudez pick up a load of plants.
Ready to plant?
What: rocky mountain nursery.
Where: 6920 Corvallis road, independence.
When: monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays and the week of Christmas.
Of note: the nursery sells wholesale and retail, perennials,
grasses, shrubs, trees, vines, some berries and fruit trees. no an-
nuals, hanging baskets, herbs, bare root or vegetable starts. most
of the plants offered are proven to do well in the Polk County
area and climate.
For more information: rkymtnnsy.com.
want to take home
and haul them in a
wagon, or leave them
in the aisles and an
employee will come
and gather them up,
she said.
The nursery has a
wide variety of cul-
tivars, so it helps to
have specific details
on what type best
suits your land-
scaping needs,
Perkins said.
“People will come
in and say, ‘I want a
maple,’” she said.
“There’s 120 to 200
maple trees. So we
say to them, ‘What
kind?’ Sometimes I
think they think we’re
being a smarty pants
to them, but we’re
not. It’s just there’s
pages and pages of
different kinds of
maples.”
Paratore used to
raise turkeys, but gave
that up and now rais-
es honey bees.
With everything in
bloom in early April,
the nursery is a haven
for bees.
In fact, Malinda
Bermudez of
Bermudez Family
Farms picked up
some plants for that
purpose on Monday
morning.
“As if I don’t have
enough plants, right?”
Bermudez said, smil-
ing.