Christianson’s 18th Annual Rose Festival 2021
A Schedule of Rosy Events
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Self-guided tour of our Schoolhouse Rose Garden Community Rose Display
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Community Rose Display entry submission
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Tri-Valley Rose Society members available for rose advice
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. “Growing Garden Roses” with Triple Wren Farms’ Sarah Pabody
11 a.m. – noon 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. “I Beg Your Pardon” with garden columnist, Marianne Binetti
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. “Favorite Roses and Rose Companions” with Ciscoe Morris and John Christianson
This year more than any other, we are looking forward to hosting our 18th Annual Rose Festival under the Big Tent centered in our beautiful Schoolhouse Rose Garden. As last year’s Festival transformed into an exclusive online event featuring educational rose care videos, Instagram Takeovers, and a Live presentation on Instagram, this year is firming up to be a hybrid of both the old and new.
“A Rosy Day Out” included all you had experienced before COVID-19: a community rose display and competition in the Schoolhouse, an ice cream social in between morning and afternoon speakers, and sitting together with like-minded gardeners in the Schoolhouse Rose Garden while listening to keynote speakers. Last year, “A Rosy Day In” included a week’s worth of helpful rose gardening videos, two all-day Instagram takeovers covering David Austin rose varieties, and instruction on using roses in flower arrangements. This led up to a live discussion between Ciscoe and John about their favorite roses and rose companions.
This year, “A Rosy Day Out” will celebrate a fusion of outdoor presentations, nearly a week’s worth of speaker-hosted Instagram posts, and a community rose display and competition in the Schoolhouse (judged by the Tri-Valley Rose Society). Our first in-person presentations under the Big Tent occur at 11:00 a.m. featuring Sarah Pabody, at 1:00 p.m. gardening columnist Marianne Binetti, and keynote speakers Ciscoe and John at 3:00 p.m. So you won’t miss a thing, we will be sharing all our presentations on IGTV and our “Events” page at ChristiansonsNursery.com afterward.
Submit your garden roses! Has anyone commented on the lovely garden roses you grow and suggest you enter them into a contest? Christianson’s Community Rose Display & Competition may be your opportunity to shine! Every June during our Rose Festival, we extend invitations to amateurs and experts alike to submit their roses to be voted on in the following categories: Best in Show, Best Fragrant Rose, and Best Floral Display incorporating perennials with roses. Ciscoe and John will announce the winners and award them each a $50 gift certificate after their 3 o’clock presentation under the Big Tent. Entries must be submitted between 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. on the day of the Festival.
A large part of our Rose Festival’s success is our volunteers who represent Skagit’s Tri-Valley Rose Society. For years, they have contributed to and managed the Community Rose Display in the Schoolhouse. A special thanks to Kathy and Leonard Gitchell and Robyn Swesey and the volunteer team for their outstanding efforts.
To learn all our updates as they are announced, follow us on our Instagram and Facebook pages @ChristiansonsNursery.
Winners from 2019 Community Rose Display Competition:
Best Fragrance: Corrine Sande, ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ (David Austin Rose)
Best Arrangement: Heidi Garman
Hybrid Tea: Margaret Red Fen, ‘Marylin Monroe’
Floribunda: Stephanie Banaszak, ‘Drop Dead Red’
Shrub: Larry Sawyer, ‘Sally Holmes’
David Austin: Stephanie Banaszak, ‘Gentle Hermoine’
Old Garden Rose: Cathy Gitchel, ‘Rose de Rescht’
Miniature: Cathy Gitchel, ‘Old Country Charm’
Climbing Rose: Denise Hollister, ‘Joseph’s Coat’
Best Unknown: Denise Hollister
A special thanks to Robyn Swesey, Cathy Gitchel, Larry Sawyer, and the Tri-Valley Rose Society volunteers for their dedicated support throughout the Festival!