A Lush and Vibrant Landscape 40 Minutes South of Portland
Set in the rolling hills of Willamette Valley, the Oregon Garden offers a stunning array of plants, forests, sculptures, fountains, reflecting pools, and walking paths.
Anyone heading to Portland soon – or those who already live in the area – will find a pleasurable and rewarding destination at the Oregon Garden. With its diverse foliage, peaceful settings, and award-winning designs, the Garden offers a wide range of unique and interesting vistas that everyone in the family can enjoy.
The Oregon Garden Specialty Gardens
Boasting over 20 specialty gardens, the Oregon Garden offers everything from a tropical hothouse to a model train to a Spanish Bosque grove with its brick reflecting pools and central plaza. Visitors can stroll through the tall stands of Douglas fir in Rediscovery Forest or view the 40 varieties of roses in the Rose Garden. Or they can wander through the 25-acre oak grove, with trees over 100 years old – and one estimated at 400.
The Oregon Garden also includes a set of small gardens designed to inspire home gardeners. In addition, the Garden offers a rooftop garden that demonstrates the latest research in green roof horticulture. Then there’s the Northwest Garden, with its lush and colorful collection of native species, and the Sensory Garden that offers a variety of scents and textures to stimulate the imagination.
Integrated into this colorful and varied landscape are fountains, reflecting pools, waterfalls, wetlands, and ponds that highlight the colorful and varied plants and flowers. Pieces of sculpture also stand throughout the Garden, blending with the graceful designs of the varied landscape. There are sights enough to make everyone happy, including the kids who can visit the Hobbit House in the Children’s Garden.
The Oregon Garden Education Programs
The Oregon Garden offers several education programs:
- The Fifth Grade Environmental Education programs provide activities for students from both public and private schools throughout Oregon.
- The K-12 Rediscovery Forest Education Program offers field trips to students to learn about Oregon’s forests.
- The Garden’s partnership with Chemeketa Community College provides classes related to the Garden.
- The Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach Center (SPROUT) program helps to develop the use of plants and plant material for environmental sustainability.
The Oregon Garden Facilities
Located in the historic town of Silverton, which offers an assortment of shops, galleries, and restaurants, the Oregon Garden has its own small café where refreshments are served, as well as a gift shop that offers souvenirs, books, and seeds. The Garden also runs a tram service (included in the price of admission) that provides visitors with a guided tour of the extraordinary grounds.
Another attraction at the Oregon Garden that might interest visitors is the Gordon House, the only building in Oregon that was designed by the world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The House sits near the garden’s front entrance and is outside the main garden grounds. Tours are available by reservation only and are not included in the Garden admission price.
The Oregon Garden does indeed have something for everybody, and any visit to the Portland area deserves a stopover at the Garden, even if only for a couple of hours. Not only is the Garden convenient to the city, but also to other magnificent spots, such as Silver Falls State Park. Anyone planning a visit to the Oregon Garden should check out the Oregon Garden web site for details about the gardens, the facilities, and their attractions.
Family-operated wineries near Newberg, Oregon, feature world-class, handcrafted wine. Stay in area hotels or B&Bs; dine out and travel by Read more
Newport, Oregon Travel Guide Newport, Oregon (the Dungeness Crab Capital of the World) is a great base from which to Read more
The Oregon Coast is a vacation destination for thousands of tourists. There are plenty of campgrounds, from primitive to pristine, Read more
Oregon's secluded South Coast overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is where many vacationers go hiking, fish, camp, and observe the Read more