The Dalles: Little Rose City too; who knew?

Volunteers continue to stun us with their inward beauty that blooms in the form of roses at the Veteran’s Memorial Rose Garden at the entrance to Sorosis Park.

From the Editor - Happy Sunday to you all, and here is a little treat from Mastergardner Dana Greyson who takes on a deep festoon on the people, places and flowers that make The Dalles great. Thank you Dana! Also read Greyson column about her battle for the roses here.

By Dana Greyson

The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 19, 2025 — With a population of 16,000, The Dalles can claim more roses per person in our rose garden than “the city of roses,” Portland, Oregon. The Dalles Sorosis Park Veterans Memorial Rose Garden is home to nearly 400 roses. That doesn’t count Seufert Heritage Rose Garden at The Dalles Dam Visitor Center, or Pioneer Park.

On a bluff atop the aptly named Scenic Drive, Sorosis Park Veterans Memorial Rose Garden offers one of the best views in town. A black wrought-iron fence encloses the circular garden. Mount Adams and the Columbia frame the northern sweep. Across the garden to the south, majestic Mt. Hood floats along the southern horizon.

File Photo from 2021 - Devan Patel, then 19, of The Dalles walks around the Vogt Fountain at Sorosis Park on Friday morning before his run. The Computer Science major at the University of Portland was interested to learn that the Vogt Fountain was installed downtown the The Dalles in 1915 before being moved to Sorosis Park in the 1960s. Read more about it here.

The Vogt Fountain at the garden’s south entrance came about through a $5000 donation in 1911—that would be in over $170,000 in today’s dollars—from Maxmillian Vogt. A business entrepreneur who liked to give back, Vogt intended the fountain “to serve man and beast.” As the town grew, the fountain was relocated to the garden.

Over sixty regal red Veterans Honor roses flank the two northern outer rows. Reaching above six feet in height, the roses pay commanding homage to our veterans. In addition to the Veterans’ roses, 172 memorial roses were planted. Grandifloras roses, floribunda, hybrid tea and a smattering of old-fashioned roses bloom in a dazzling array of colors…pink, salmon, peach, orange, yellow, plum, white, and of course, red. The heady rose scent is even more breathtaking than the view.

Current Stewardship—A Budding Partnership

The garden got its start in1953. Wasco County Master Gardeners partnered with Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation in 2023 to take care of it. Then in 2024, The Dalles experienced its worst winter in fifty years— two straight weeks of near zero-degree weather. Fully exposed on an unprotected hilltop, the garden took a battering. Many roses died and some survivors were no longer worth saving.

Local master gardeners who do volunteer work at the rose garden.

Last fall, Master Gardeners flagged twenty-three rose bushes for removal by Parks and Recreation. This spring, Parks and Recreation and Master Gardeners worked together, planting thirty new rose plants. A generous anonymous community donor contributed toward the purchase of the new rose bushes; Master Gardeners and Parks and Recreation split the remaining cost. Shortly after planning the new roses, Parks and Recreation surprised and delighted Master Gardeners by buying and laying down a fresh blanket of bark mulch.

One of our master gardeners' daughter, Marion who proudly placed the first ID plaques in the rose garden.

Thanks to the thriving partnership between Parks and Recreation and Wasco County Master Gardeners, the garden is rebounding. Parks and Recreation owns the land, manages the irrigation, contributes to garden expenses, helps with planting, removes the yard debris from pruning* and weeding. Master Gardeners decides what maintenances is needed—watering, weeding—including rose-choking acorn “sprouts” with three-foot-long roots!—and pruning. Master Gardeners also decides which roses need to be removed for replacement, what the replacements will be and where they go. Every year, Master Gardeners plans to refresh the garden with more rose bushes.

Pruning classes provide just the right cut for maximus blossomness.

* Rose lovers are encouraged to take photos, not bouquets.

Adopt a Rose

If you want to remember your loved ones with a rosebush in the garden, Master Gardeners is offering a rose “adoption” at $100/rosebush. Email wascoextmg@oregonstate.edu or call (541) 296-5494 if you’re interested,

A Rose By Any Other Name

What’s your favorite rose in the garden? Over 150 of the roses in the garden will be identified with easy-to-read plaques, with more identification markers on the way.

Blossoming Community Pride

The Dalles most enduring beauty is our community’s determination to celebrate and cherish our history. The Cherry Festival, St. Peters Landmark Church, The Dalles Art Center, The Discovery Center, The Antique Car Show, Sunshine Mills, The Old Courthouse, The Dalles Civic Auditorium, Fort Dalles Museum—we treasure and care for our local gems. Our rose garden thrives because The Dalles is a community where we roll up our sleeves, open our wallets along with our hearts, and work together restore what we love.

Master Gardeners would love your help. If you’re interested, contact Wasco County Master Gardeners the OSU Extension Service, at (541) 296-5494 or email wascoextmg@oregonstate.edu.

As for the roses…come visit while they still are in bloom.

Rosy Remembrances?

Do you have a personal story or bit of history about The Veteran’s Memorial Rose Garden to share? A special kiss? A grandparent who helped plant or maintain the garden, or whose memorial rose you visit? Wedding photos? We’d love to hear from you. Call Wasco County Master Gardeners at (541) 296-5494 or email wascoextmg@oregonstate.edu