>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following.

>> That flower feeling... ...at home.. ...at work... ...or any time.

Cal Flowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom", where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following.

Passion Roses.

♪♪ >> Come with me to the City of roses, Portland, Oregon.

We'll visit a rose grower that's been around for over 100 years, and we'll learn why roses became part of the city's identity, as well as visit the Portland Flower Market.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom".

♪♪ Portland has been known as the City of Roses for over a century.

The first rose bush in the Pacific Northwest, was sent to Anna Maria Pittman in 1837, when she married Jason Lee.

Georgiana Pittock, wife of "The Oregonian" publisher Henry Pittock, showed her love for roses in 1889 by establishing the Portland Rose Society.

By 1905, Portland had 20 miles of rose-bordered streets, with about half a million rose bushes planted, attracting visitors to the 1905 World's Fair.

At the close of the exposition, Mayor Harry Lane announced that he would build on the success of the fair, establishing an annual Rose Festival.

The first Rose Festival was held two years later in 1907, and has been an annual event for well over 100 years now.

During World War I, nursery owners in Portland began planting a large rose garden to protect European species from the war.

The garden was established in Washington Park as the International Rose Test Garden in 1917.

The garden was dedicated in 1924 and partners with the Portland Rose Society.

The International Rose Test Garden is currently one of the oldest public rose test gardens in the United States, covering four and a half acres, with over 8,000 rose plants and more than 550 different species.

In 2003, Portland adopted the City of Roses as its official nickname.

Much like the roses, Portland has provided the perfect opportunity to grow the unique, interesting, and unusual, and Portland is filled with iconic monuments, businesses, and delicious encounters.

Today, the rose symbol graces much of the signage throughout the metro area, including manhole and utility covers.

Portland is also home to Peterkort Roses, a grower that celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2023, as well as the Portland Flower Market.

Join me at visits to these places and more in this episode of "Life in Bloom".

♪♪ It's always a great treat for me to spend time with other flower lifers, as I like to call them, people who, like me, have been around flowers literally their entire lives.

Such is the case with Sandra Laubenthal and Norman Peterkort of Peterkort Roses.

Let's learn more about this 100 year old family flower business.

Sandra, this is such a treat for me because this reminds me of the greenhouses when I was a little kid.

And you're a flower lifer like me.

You've spent your entire life -- So you were probably running up and down in these greenhouses when you were a little kid.

>> We started weeding at age six.

>> Oh, awesome.

Awesome.

>> You know, you started glazing greenhouses at age four.

>> Right, right.

I mean, they just -- "Put them to work.

Put those kids to work."

So did Peterkort start with roses?

>> No, no, we didn't.

We started in 1923 with stuff like pansies and maybe violets, but the sweet peas and gerberas, and then at a certain point, we did freesias... >> Oh, okay.

>> ...in the 30s, I think.

>> So this is the 100th anniversary of Peterkort Roses, and you are third generation.

What's that like?

>> Well, being third generation is probably a lot like being first generation because the industry is always changing, so you're always adapting to new situations.

So you just have to keep a fresh mind about things.

>> What has changed, do you think, from the beginning of Peterkort in the last hundred years?

What do you think has changed about the way that it started to the way that it is today?

>> The crops you can grow have changed a lot.

I mean, we grow things now that may have not existed back then or were entirely different varieties, and the things they -- a lot of things they used to grow back in those days, I don't think you can make money on anymore.

>> Is there anything historically that they grew that -- or was available that you might think about growing again?

>> Yeah, I know that they used to grow things like snapdragons and bouvardia, and we've actually tried some snapdragons and we found that they were not a bad crop.

We might increase that in the future.

>> So you plant different things in different areas and now you grow roses in specific season?

>> Yeah, we used to heat -- It's all about heat and light for the roses, right?

So they won't bloom unless they have night temperatures of 65, which is pretty warm.

>> Okay.

>> So in the old days, we would heat all the time and have roses even in the winter.

So, we have to, you know, really heat a lot.

>> That's expensive.

Yeah.

It's crazy.

Yeah, sure.

>> By the way, that's bridal white.

Remember that one?

>> This is bridal white.

It is.

Bridal white.

I love that you grow varieties that nobody grows anymore.

>> We still have some Sonia.

>> [ Gasps ] >> [ Laughs ] >> That I'm thinking about pulling out.

>> And you have lavonda.

>> Yeah.

That's right... >> Here.

Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Yeah, that's the most beautiful smelling rose.

>> So, why keep -- What's your philosophy for keeping those roses?

>> Well, some of them are -- like this lavonda smells really good, and it's got a really interesting color, and it's just unique, and I think people like being able to buy something that is unattainable elsewhere.

>> What's your favorite thing about being a flower farmer?

>> It's always interesting.

There's a lot of challenges, so you never get -- you never get bored.

>> Why do you think flowers are important?

>> Oh, I think they're important because beauty is important in life, and flowers are beautiful, and I think that's something that everybody can appreciate, and I think when you even have a single flower in your house and watch it and it grows it, it's beautiful, and then it's gone, and that's okay.

And you know what?

It's also biodegradable.

>> Right, right.

>> That's a good thing, too.

But I think that flowers remind us of the beauty of the world, and also that it's transitory.

>> It's fleeting.

That's wonderful.

This has been such a treat for me.

We got the chance to come here and see what you do.

It reminds me of being a kid, and I'm just so glad you made time for us and that I got to be with you for a little bit.

>> It's been a pleasure.

>> That's awesome.

That's awesome.

>> Thank you, J.

>> My pleasure.

♪♪ Since I'm here at Peterkort Roses, I couldn't resist making an arrangement with all the different types of flowers that they grow.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ We always have a featured flower, and so we should have a featured flower that is unique to Peterkort.

And here's one that you grow.

Helga... >> Helga Piaget.

Yeah.

>> Tell us the story.

>> This is named after a woman who's a -- she's a professional golfer who lives in Monaco.

Anyway, she was married to Yves Piaget.

>> Okay.

>> Yves Piaget also has a rose named after him, but they got divorced.

>> Okay.

>> And then the company renamed her rose something else.

They renamed it Classic Woman.

So one day I'm sitting in the office and out of the blue, this woman with a French accent calls, and it's her.

And she -- Yeah, I know.

"This is Helga Piaget."

She saw it on our website that we had her rose and she wanted to get a plant, but she was having trouble because she couldn't find it in commerce.

Well, she couldn't find it because I said, "Well, they renamed your rose."

And she said, "Oh, how rude."

[ Laughs ] >> You know, I mean, this is what happens when we -- when we have thorns on roses is that you might get a little tear or something like that.

I still think that that's... That's nature.

>> We're trying to, you know, recognize that everything doesn't have to be perfect.

>> Well, this is fabulous, Sandra.

Helga Piaget, our featured flower.

♪♪ Another beautiful part of Portland is the Portland Flower Market.

We're here at the Oregon Floral Growers Association, and this is dozens of flower farmers who have brought their beautiful flowers to market.

You can stroll through here and find all kinds of things that are locally grown by professional flower growers.

It's a wonderful way to see beautiful types of flowers.

So, Sandra, this is so exciting to be here.

I love the vibe of a flower market.

How long has it been here?

>> Well, the Oregon Flower Growers Association started in 1941.

>> How many farms are involved?

>> At least 30.

>> Wow!

Wow.

And each one is growing an individual thing, so some of it's plants, some of it's flowers.

>> And then, you know, some people are just here for certain seasonal things, but others are here all the time.

>> Wonderful.

I think in other parts of the country where we don't have a flower market, like where I'm from, this is -- this spoil-- this is -- we feel like you're spoiled, you know, that you get to come and pick and look and see.

>> It's really a nice thing.

>> And it's open to the trade?

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

>> Yes.

You have to have a pass to come into the entire flower market.

This isn't like a regular retail thing.

And we don't want to compete with the florists for customers.

>> It's a flower market feel for the professional florist.

>> Exactly.

>> What's your opinion of being able to come to a flower market every week?

>> I love it.

I love it because I know I can come here and I can buy from local growers, and I can put my eyes and my hands on the product that I'm getting, and it's great.

It's always fresh.

The growers are great to work with.

You can special-order things, you know, and you're going to be surprised every time you walk in on what you're going to find.

It's something different and unusual and beautiful every day.

>> Our Flower Growers Association has such a diverse amount of product that you can see.

You get to meet a lot of different farmers that are small, and that's really pretty amazing.

So we're fortunate because of our location, and there's varieties that you just don't see anywhere, you know, that aren't commercially grown.

>> It's a hub not only for all the different farms and growers to come together and offer their products and services, but also it's a place where florists can exchange ideas and learn from each other.

It's very unique and special.

>> It is interesting and it is unique.

And I think that that's something really marvelous about Portland.

>> Yeah.

>> Is that we have this opportunity here.

Anytime you can meet the farmer and get to see the flowers... >> Yes.

>> ...that's wonderful.

You said that you're probably the smallest vendor here.

>> Yes.

There were places around my area in my neighborhood that were neglected or underused.

So I asked my neighbors if they would let me grow some flowers in their parking strips or their side yards.

>> How wonderful!

>> I had several neighbors that were very welcoming for me to do these things.

>> That's so interesting though.

But it's specialty things.

It's forget-me-nots, it's the snowflakes, it's the hyacinth.

>> Yeah.

>> And so they're very -- they're specialty items that you've created.

>> I've done so many different things.

I've done Pike Street Market, I've done little farmers markets, I've done big farmers markets, I've done roadside stands, I've done florists, I've done wholesale.

But this is the best because no one ever says "we don't have -- We don't need delphiniums today" or "we don't need poppies," because you can just bring them and try and sell them anyway.

>> Oh, that's awesome.

What's your favorite part about being a flower farmer?

>> Just going out and seeing the new things that are popping up all over the place and waiting.

Especially when you don't know for sure what -- sometimes, you know, with tulips and stuff, which ones, what they're going to be and... >> Right.

>> ...to see them open up.

>> This one's incredible the way it opens up.

>> Yeah.

>> It's so beautiful.

I love it.

>> I like that one, too.

>> I might have to come back and get a couple of these from you to make an arrangement.

>> Yes, you should.

>> Oh, I'll do it.

I will do that.

Why do you think flowers are important?

>> Well, I just think when you hand a bouquet of flowers to somebody, they just, like, smile and they're happy.

And how can you not be happy, like, looking at a flower?

>> I think flowers are important because it's Mother Nature laughing, right?

That's -- It gives me so much joy to see flowers.

Flowers are very, very important to life.

All the insects that grow on it -- not grow on it but visit them.

>> Visit them.

>> God, they're just beautiful.

>> It's wonderful.

It's wonderful.

Why do you think flowers are important?

>> Well, I think that flowers make people happy.

I think -- I know that there have been studies done that talk about the effects of flowers on your brain, and when people see them or smell them, it gives them that sense of being out in nature and just being able -- It calms you down.

It makes you smile.

They're great.

>> To me, flowers express something that's transcendent and from God.

They speak of beauty and love and joy and sadness and there's just -- there's just something so, um, that takes us above about flowers.

>> My dad always said that our job was to turn people's feelings into flowers.

>> Cool.

Yeah.

>> And I think that that's really what it does, that that there's a very interesting connection that way because they can say what we can't say sometimes.

>> Right.

Yeah.

>> That's wonderful.

>> A lot of times when people don't know what to say on a card message, I'll say, "How about you just let the flowers do the talking?"

>> Perfect.

Exactly.

That's wonderful.

This is what I love -- going to a flower market and getting some beautiful flowers.

I hope you enjoyed the trip.

♪♪ Being at the Portland Flower Market, I couldn't resist making an arrangement from the beautiful flowers they have here.

We're making this arrangement in a cylinder container and I'm using chicken wire.

I've created a ball of chicken wire, and we've slipped it down into the base, and the vase is filled with water.

The great part about chicken wire is it's a foam-free mechanic.

At the same time, we also have to learn to leverage our flowers against one another because we can't make specific strategic placements.

So leveraging flowers against one another allows us to make placements and have the flowers stay where we want it.

We're working from the outside towards the center.

Longer flowers are on the outside.

Shorter flowers are towards the middle.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I'm working from the back, so I'm working to make sure that my front has great impact with all sorts of different textures of flowers.

♪♪ You might want to give chicken wire a try.

It's a fun mechanic and it's a great way to learn how to arrange flowers.

♪♪ ♪♪ Portland takes its association to roses to heart.

One of the more unique examples are the utility and manhole covers that actually have roses emblazoned on them.

I thought it would be fun to take some butcher paper and create a rubbing so we would have a souvenir of our visit to Portland.

♪♪ My friend Gabriella, a Portland resident, kindly directed me to this location, which is a pedestrian area free of traffic.

Safety first.

♪♪ I used a larger sized crayon to make the rubbing easier.

Red seemed appropriate for the image of a rose.

♪♪ Once I returned home, I was able to take the art and cut it to fit inside a frame.

♪♪ It's a wonderful way for us to remember our trip to the City of Roses and have something to hang in our house as a remembrance.

And now it's time for my favorite part of the show -- flowers from you, the viewers.

Today's arrangement is from viewer Donna Slappey, who watches on stations GPB TV and SC TV.

Donna found a deal on flowers at her grocery store and writes, "I just couldn't resist buying these.

Thanks for your inspiration."

I love this rose bouquet, Donna.

An orange and hot pink combination is so striking and sitting atop this gold leafed cube, it's just lovely.

Donna also notes, "I'm in beautiful Savannah, Georgia.

Please come for a visit."

Savannah is a beautiful place.

Hopefully I can make my way there soon.

Please send me your pictures of flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankes after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to J@uBloom.com.

That's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com and watch for more Schwankes on upcoming shows.

Thanks for joining me on this trip to Portland, the City of Roses.

I hope you enjoyed exploring roses and flowers throughout the area, and perhaps you'll have a chance to experience it for yourself in the future.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

Michelle, I love that people bring their dogs to the flower market.

I think that's very cool.

So that's what got my attention first.

>> I've brought him since he was a puppy.

And I usually come every day.

>> And he gets treats when he goes around with you?

>> He does.

He knows exactly where he gets treats.

Usually not from me so much, but for good behavior.

So yeah, he's really good where he'll ride around in the cart as I'm shopping, and then when we get to the end, he knows he gets a treat.

[ Dog whining ] But if I take too long talking, he starts doing this.

>> Hey, thanks and thanks to Louie for making time for us.

I'll let him get on his way.

>> No, he's doing good.

>> I know, so he can get his treat.

That's awesome.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

>> It was very nice meeting you.

>> Nice to meet you as well.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> Visit J's website, uBloom.com, for flower projects and crafts, complete recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, J's blog, flower cocktails, and more.

♪♪ "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... >> That flower feeling.

♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

♪♪ >> With additional support from the following... ♪♪ Closed-caption funding provided by Holland America Flowers.

♪♪