Harmony in the Garden Blog

The Oregon Garden

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking at The Oregon Garden, located in the stunning Willamette Valley town of Silverton.

I am so fortunate that I had booked an extra day for this trip as I was completely unaware of the sheer magnitude of this impressive garden.

More than just a beautiful space, this garden consists of 80 acres of teaching and demonstration gardens, all seamlessly flowing from one to the next. 

Conservation is a theme that runs throughout the gardens, from teaching about the importance of local water eco-systems and forestry to helping gardeners create their own water-wise gardens.

While one day wasn’t nearly enough to capture the essence of this impressive garden, I’ll do my best to give it a try.

 

Since I’m from hot, dry California, wandering through the Conifer Garden was a visual and textural treat.

Oh, how I wish we had more water so I could grow some of these!

The soft gold needles of the ‘Silver Mist’ Cedar and the weeping, steely blue Engleman Spruce (below)  were two of my favorites.  

I loved this family of Pot People, placed at the entrance to The Children’s Garden.

Wandering through is a Tree House, true Outdoor Rooms, a Hobbit House and Dinosaur Dig.  

Native plants are woven throughout the various gardens.

In their full glory, these native plants not only show just how beautiful they can be in your home garden, but also how important they are in attracting much-needed pollinators.  

The bee enjoying his feast on this ceanothus pretty much sums it up!  Below, are the Camas flower and Spice Bush (calycanthus.) 

In addition to emphasizing native plants, non-natives that are drought tolerant are planted everywhere.

Like these fiery Oriental poppies that are thriving in the blazing hot parking lot!

Below are the yellow blooms of a sedum, gently cascading over a stone, and the cheery orange blooms of helianthemum ‘Henfield Brilliant.’

Planted throughout the ornamental beds were some of the most beautiful artichoke plants I’ve ever seen!

 

Artichoke plants not only provide stunning contrast with their highly structural leaves, when left to bloom they turn into giant purple thistles adding yet another level of interest to the garden.

 

And what garden would be complete without homes for birds and bats? 

While this is just a small taste of what you’ll experience if you visit The Oregon Garden, I hope you get the chance to experience it for yourself.  

And if you do, make sure to allow at least a few days!  Remember, it’s 80-acres!

 

Enjoyed this article?  Please share it with others: 

Please leave a comment below

13 Comments

  • I’m heading to Eugene(from Idaho) the middle of July. I’ll absolutely be taking the Silverton exit to this beautiful place on my way…thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Have fun when visiting, Karen! Hope you enjoy the garden as much as I did!

      Reply
  • What an amazing place! I love the toilet turned into a plant vessel. I am sold on the artichokes plants, so stunning!

    I love the San Francisco botanical garden, that is the one I know the best.

    Reply
    • I love the SF botanical garden, too, Laura. But then again, maybe we’re a little biased! 😉

      Reply
  • Great photos, Rebecca! I hadn’t heard of the Oregon Garden. This reminds me, I’ve been meaning to add an artichoke to my garden. I think it would do well where I have a dwarf citrus that isn’t performing. Anyway, as far as public gardens go, I was really impressed by the Montreal Botanical Garden. Imagine, in the winter, being able to walk through a series of greenhouses that are all connected. You can do a big loop—go down one side and back the other. Takes about an hour if you don’t linger. Gorgeous tropical plants from all over the world, arranged in garden vignettes, with plenty of benches and water features. Everything labeled and well tended. Really well done.

    Reply
    • Debra, your brief but perfect description has me sold! Walking through connected greenhouses in the middle of winter sounds delightful, as does the ‘plenty of benches’ comment (you know all about my poor feet!!) Thanks for letting me know about yet another garden to add to my ‘must see’ list!

      Reply
  • Beautiful garden. Those are actually oriental poppies in the parking lot. I have a few favorite public gardens. The little known NJ Botanical Garden at Skylands, The NY Botanical Garden where I went to school, The Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew where I did internships.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the correction, Kaveh! I’m dying to visit the Royal Botanic Garden and can’t believe you actually interned there – lucky you!! The NJ Botanical Garden at Skylands is another I’d love to visit – thanks for the suggestions.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to my blog

Popular Categories

Favorite Garden Books

Favorite Sources for Plants, Bulbs, & Seeds

Helpful Garden Sites