All information can be found at:www.americanpeonysociety.org
The 2018 Convention of the American Peony Society will be held on May 23 – 27, 2018 at the University Place Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Portland, Oregon. Registration includes admission to all scheduled activities including the welcome dinner reception and silent auction, bus transportation, garden tours and catered luncheons on Thursday and Friday, peony floral exhibition, educational seminars, annual banquet and live auction. Take advantage of the earlybird discount! (Banquet and tour tickets are limited. Avoid disappointment; register early.) Download and send in your registration form today! Here’s the schedule:
Wednesday, May 23
The 2018 Convention kicks off on Wednesday evening with aWelcome Dinner ReceptionandSilent Auction. Members will gather at 5:00pm in the Willamette Falls Ballroom for a no-host social hour, followed by a buffet dinner and silent auction where an interesting assortment of plants and peony-related items will be on offer. Be sure to pick up your registration packets and name badge and join in this fun event! (Please note that there are no other scheduled events on Wednesday.)
Thursday, May 24
After enjoying the hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet (for hotel guests only) we’ll board chartered coaches and travel to Salem where we’ll enjoy an early morning tour ofSeabright Gardens, the Pacific Northwest’s premier Hosta nursery. Our hosts Thomas Johnson and Kirk Hansen will welcome members to explore their four acre botanical display gardens which include hundreds of varieties of Hosta, hardy ferns and Epimediums. Sunnier parts of the gardens feature peonies and a variety of other hardy perennials, along with an extensive collection of dwarf conifers. This location is also home toMid-America Iris Gardens, showcasing award-winning iris introductions from Thomas Johnson and Paul Black. We’ll include time for plant shopping!
Next we’ll re-board the coaches for the short drive toAdelman’s Peony Gardenswhere you’re invited to tour over 25 acres of peonies. Our visit will include time to walk the production fields, view an indoor peony bloom display and to enjoy two acres of display gardens, featuring hundreds of peonies and companion plants. This stop will include a catered picnic lunch. During the lunch hour, APS members Carol Adelman and David Michener will be signing copies of their newly published book, “Peony: the Best Varieties for Your Garden.”
From here, we’ll head north to Woodburn where we’ll visitOregon Perennial Company, a large wholesale grower of premium rootstock for peonies, daylilies and other perennials. APS Director Piet Wierstra and his son André will be our hosts on our tour of their wholesale, cut flower operation where you’ll get a chance to see peonies being bundled and readied for shipping or cold storage. We’ll also have a chance to tour Piet’s private peony garden.
Thursday evening, members are invited to explore the Portland State Campus in the heart of downtown Portland with it’s many fine eateries including everything from Portland’s famous foodtrucks, pubs featuring excellent local microbrews, upscale steak houses and many more choices. We’ll provide walking maps and suggestions for you! After dinner members are invited to meet up with friends in the APS Hospitality Suite.
Friday, May 25
Our second day of garden tours begins with a special, private visit to theLan Su Chinese Gardenwhere APS members will enjoy a rare opportunity to experience this unique and tranquil place before the garden opens to the public. Built in the Suzhou-style after gardens in Portland’s sister city Suzhou, China, construction of the garden began in 1999 when Suzhou sent 65 workman and over 500 tons of rock, including a collection of Chinese Scholar’s Stones or “Gongshi,” from China’s Lake Tai.
From here, we’ll travel through Oregon’s famous nursery and farm district west of Portland for a tour ofFlora Wonder Arboretum, the private plant collection of Talon Buchholz of Buchholz & Buccholz Nursery. What began as a collection of six Japanese maple cultivars has grown into a world class collection of thousands of different plant species and cultivars collected from horticulturists and plantsmen from around the world, including several of Buchholz’ own introductions. As Talon explains, “All plants in cultivation have a story.” You can learn more by visiting the Flora Wonder Blog online athttp://florawonder.blogspot.com.
Our next stop will be theCornelius Pass Roadhousein Hillsboro. This six-acre farmstead is an historic treasure right in the heart of Oregon’s high-tech corridor. The property features the original Roadhouse, built in 1866 and filled with Victorian-era furnishings. The property also has an onsite brewery, distillery, orchards and gardens and an octagonal barn. We’ll enjoy a catered lunch in the gardens next to Imbrie Hall where you may also choose to sample one of their many microbrews.
After the tour, the motor coaches will return to the hotel so members can begin preparations for the flower show. APS members will have the option to remain in Washington Park which offers free shuttle service to thePortland Japanese Garden,Hoyt Arboretum, theWorld Forestry Centerand thePortland Zoo. Catch Portland’s MAX light rail train or a Trimet bus to return to the hotel on your own.After lunch, we’ll head back to Portland where we’ll stop atWashington Parkto tour theInternational Rose Test Gardens, home to more than 10,000 individual rose plants including more than 650 different cultivars. Established in 1917, the garden served as a sanctuary for European-grown roses that were threatened by bombing during World War I. It is now the oldest continuously operating, public rose test garden in the United States and helps solidify Portland’s standing as the “City of Roses.”
Saturday, May 26
APS Members are encouraged to help with preparation and staging for thePeony Floral Exhibitionon Saturday morning. After judging is completed and awards have been placed, the Exhibition will open to the public at 1:00pm. A series ofEducational Seminarswill also be offered. Be watching the next issue of The Bulletin for a schedule of seminar topics and speakers.
Members will gather on Saturday evening for a no-host social hour following by aBuffet Banquetfeaturing Northwest favorites. Dinner will be followed by theAnnual General Membership Meeting, followed by the much anticipated,Annual Auctionfeaturing a wide variety of peonies ranging from garden favorites to rare and choice introductions, along with a variety of peony-related books, gardening and decorative items, companion plants, etc.
Sunday, May 27
ThePeony Floral Exhibitionreopens at 10:00am. The second day ofEducational Seminarsalso resumes with additional topics of interest including our new“Ask the Experts” Roundtable, which promises to be both lively and insightful! Don’t miss this opportunity to get YOUR questions answered by some our most knowledgeable and experienced peony growers. (Question cards are included in your registration packet.)
The Peony Floral Exhibition closes at 4:00pm. Assistance with tear-down and clean up is greatly appreciated!
Staying On?
Members interested in extending their stay in Oregon, will find lists of additional gardens, nurseries, sightseeing opportunities and maps in their registration packets. A car rental agency is conveniently located in the lobby of the hotel. Happy travels!
University Place Hotel and Conference Center
310 SW Lincoln Street
Portland, OR 97201
Phone: (503) 221-0140
https://www.uplacehotel.com/
The University Place Hotel and Conference Center is located on the south side of Portland State University in the heart of downtown Portland. For reservations please call (503) 221-0140 and ask for the “American Peony Society Convention” room block at our discounted rate of $99 per night. Be sure to mention that the APS room block date starts on Wednesday, 5/23 (even if you’re arriving on a different date) so the agent can locate our event. All rooms include Wi-Fi and a delicious hot breakfast buffet.
Please note that there is no free parking on campus. Hotel parking is $15 a night. There are several transportation options to get from the Portland Airport to University Place Hotel including the Blue Star Shuttle ($14/way/person). Contact them at 1-800-247-2272. Public transportation is also available via Portland’s MAX light rail ($2.50/way/person). To plan your trip visit www.trimet.org. Both Uber and Lyft also offer rides to and from the airport.
¤ The last day to make hotel reservations at the APS rate is Tuesday, May 1, 2018.
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FOR QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE 2018 APS CONVENTION CONTACT:
[emailprotected]
