Nature has graced us with her own holiday ornaments this time of year.

Many of our gardens include roses with fabulous hips, the showy fruits that are left once the rose petals die off and fall. The hips can range from blueberry size to small tomatoes, and last longer than the blooms, so they’re great for a fall or early winter floral arrangement. Rose hips also do splendidly left on the plant, lending their nourishment to birds and other garden creatures or making their way into our own tea or cooking.

As a rule, Rugosa roses produce the best hips, as do old-fashioned roses and disease-resistant rose species. Here were some suggestions I came across, with the help of the folks at Sunset magazine.

Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa) is also called “sea tomato” for its red, patio tomato-sized fruit and produces both hips and flowers at the same time on disease-resistant, low-maintenance shrubs. Some (like R. r. ‘Scabrosa’) have hips of different colors, from near chartreuse to tomato red, representing different stages of maturity. Because the plants have flowered long into summer, the hips appear in fall and into winter. Most rugosas are white or in the purple to red range, with a couple of yellows. Most plants grow 4 to 5 feet tall.

The Moyes rose (R. moyesii) features shiny hips that look like tiny cylinders. Red flowers cover this rather large (8- to 12-foot) shrub in early summer. Sunset recommends ‘Eddie’s Jewel,’ ‘Geranium’ or ‘Sealing Wax’ (perhaps the best for hips).

People buy R. glauca mostly for its distinctive gray-green, burgundy tinged leaves – and then realize that it also bears bright red hips that show in shiny clusters. The pink blooms cover this large (to 7 feet) disease-proof plant once a year, in spring.

Sweet briar rose (R. rubiginosa, often sold as R. eglanteria) is named for its leaves that smell like green apples after a rain. The plant can grow to 12 feet tall, but hard pruning can turn it into a dense 4-foot hedge. Single pink flowers come only once each year, in late spring, and are followed by a galaxy of 1/2-inch hips that turn red-orange late in the season.

Chestnut rose (R. roxburghii) buds and yellow-orange hips are spiny, like small chestnuts. Sunset recommends this one because its fern-like foliage makes a soft backdrop for fragrant double spring blooms. Chestnut rose grows to 6 feet tall and wide.

Besides our fine local nurseries, great roses with lovely hips can be found through St. Paul’s Heirloom Roses, (503) 538-1576 or www.heirloomroses.com, also at Washington’s Heronswood Nursery, (360) 297-4172 or www.heronswood.com

Here’s another gift I’ve come across for the holidays. The OSU Lane County Master Gardener Association has produced “Garden Rhythm: A Year-Round Guide and Journal for the Maritime Northwest.” The guide is arranged by the seasons, starting with winter and progressing through autumn. It offers 75 pages of monthly advice on creating a healthy, sustainable garden. Watercolor illustrations help to make sense of gardening tasks and techniques for the maritime Northwest gardener. The books cost $17 apiece, with $2 shipping. All proceeds support the educational programs of the Lane County Master Gardener Association. For more information, call (800) 872-8980.

At a recent Clatsop County Master Gardener event, John and Marion Sefren were named 2005 Clatsop County Master Gardeners of the Year. The award is based on longstanding membership and outstanding dedication and service to the Oregon State University Master Gardener Program at the county level. John served as the group’s treasurer for 2002-03 and Marion held the position for 2004-05, according to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Association. Both also work annually on the Spring Garden Seminar and the Demonstration Garden. They also helped out with this year’s Tapiola Park project and contributed more than 50 hours to the local group in 2005.

Other awards given at the November meeting included New Sprout honors to George Bergeron, Patricia Berrong, Dena Johnson, Doug McCall and Nancy Newhall. This award recognizes members of the current Master Gardener class whose volunteer service has been above and beyond the requirements.

Sheila Parsons was tapped as the Behind the Scenes Master Gardener, recognized for “quietly and unselfishly working behind the scenes to further the OSU program.” Parsons contributed 63 hours, serves on the group’s board of directors, works on the Spring Garden Seminar and is the organization’s current state representative.

The Mighty Oak award went to Walt John, to recognize his more than 400 hours in 2005, mainly coordinating the 2005 training classes and Demonstration Garden. He also works many hours during the fair.

Three businesses received certificates of appreciation for contributions of time, talent or monies to further the Master Gardener Program. Brim’s Farm and Garden, Lewis and Clark Nursery and Windermere Realty were recognized this year.

Cathy Peterson belongs to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Program. “In the Garden” appears each week in Coast Weekend. Please send comments or gardening news to “In the Garden,” The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or online to peterson@pacifier.com

Avid gardener and Astoria innkeeper Gail Evans-Hatch has a special treat – a trip to visit English gardens.

Evans-Hatch and her husband, Michael, have lived in Astoria for four years, operating the Astoria Cove Bed and Breakfast on Duane Street. The 100-year-old Queen Anne home features a small garden that evidences their interest in plants. Gail Evans-Hatch is organizing a May 2006 trip to England “for artists and adventurers” to explore the area near Bath, the Cotswolds and London, the locations of many choice gardens. Those include Stourhead garden, the 18th-century garden designed by landscape architect Capability Brown that is known for its winding paths, temples and grottos; Owlpen Manor, a romantic manor house in the Cotswolds; Hidcote Manor Garden, designed by Sir Lawrence Johnston and featuring a famous White Garden and Long Walk; the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew with its Victorian era class houses; and admission to the Chelsea Flower Show.

Evans-Hatch encourages interested gardeners, artists and adventurers to contact her soon. For more information, call (503) 338-4343.