Welcome back to Heirloom™ Garden Tours, a series celebrating beautiful gardens and the gardeners who bring them to life. Each garden tells a different story, shaped over seasons of planting, learning, and dreaming. Join us as we step inside inspiring gardens and discover the roses that make them unforgettable.

Gretchen’s Garden Tour

Just outside Portland, Oregon (Zone 8b), Gretchen Humphrey has created a rose garden that feels right at home in the Rose City. What began as a love of roses has grown into an extraordinary collection of hundreds of varieties, each chosen for its beauty, fragrance, performance, or the joy it brings throughout the season. 

From the award-winning Floribundas lining her sidewalk to the cutting garden tucked behind her home, every corner of Gretchen's garden reflects years of curiosity, care, and a genuine passion for growing roses. It's a garden that invites you to slow down, wander the paths, and discover something beautiful around every turn. 

Roses Growing in Gretchen's Garden 

One of the joys of touring Gretchen's garden is seeing how many different colors, fragrances, and growth habits can coexist in a single landscape. Here are a few of the roses that help bring her garden to life: 

Oh My!™  is one of Gretchen's longtime favorites, producing enormous sprays of red blooms that create a dramatic display throughout the season. 

Princesse Charlene de Monaco® earns her royal reputation with heavily petaled, ruffled blooms, a strong fragrance, and an elegant presence in the garden. 

Love & Peace® stands tall with golden-yellow flowers brushed with vibrant fuchsia edges, creating a striking focal point. 

State of Grace™ offers an ever-changing display, with blooms that soften from apricot to creamy yellow as they mature. 

Violet's Pride™ produces petite blooms in soft lavender. At its peak, the entire bush will be covered in flowers. 

Stiletto™ reaches for the sky with shiny foliage that’s just as beautiful as the deep raspberry blooms it produces. It’s also a recent winner at the Portland Rose Society show. 

Sugar Moon lines the sidewalk leading to Gretchen's home, welcoming visitors with exceptional fragrance and outstanding disease resistance. 

Firefighter® is the most fragrant rose in her collection. When cut blooms are brought indoors, their rich perfume fills her entire house. 

Elina® extends the season with buttery yellow blooms that continue performing beautifully through the warmth of summer. 

Sparkle & Shine™ brightens the garden with clusters of ruffled yellow blooms that seem to glow in the landscape. 

Ch-Ching! Reaches heights of up to 6’ tall with large yellow blooms she can see from her kitchen window. 

Eden Climber® drapes gracefully over a trellis leading to the lower garden, its romantic blooms creating a picture-perfect entrance. 

Sunbelt® Savannah is a favorite for cutting, offering fragrant blush-pink blooms alongside glossy, disease-resistant foliage. 

Growing More Than Roses 

While Gretchen's garden is filled with remarkable roses, she credits much of her success to something less visible: community. 

When she first began growing roses, she wasn't sure where to start. Joining her local rose society connected her with experienced gardeners who generously shared their knowledge and encouragement. Through those relationships, she gained the confidence to expand her garden, experiment with new varieties, and continue learning year after year. 

Today, Gretchen has come full circle. She has served as chair of her local rose society, earned awards for her private gardens, and now helps other gardeners build the same confidence she once sought herself.