The kids & I ventured a bit south yesterday to visit The Oregon Garden. This was a first time visit for all of us.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect. We didn’t have time to explore the entire garden, but what we did see we enjoyed very much. It was a great place to explore with my kids. We had fun seeing the birds, squirrels, snakes, frogs, salamanders & bugs. I’ll admit, not all of it was knock-your-socks off gardening. But, we did have a great time & I enjoyed seeing the many different garden styles.

AMAZING WATER GARDEN

Chilean Gunnera
The leaves on this interesting plant caught my attention.

The kids spotted many salamanders in the pools of water.

We also saw a snake hunting frogs in the water. Things like this could entertain my kids all day.

TRAM RIDE

We took a tram ride to the back side of the garden. Then walked our way back. The tram driver was full of information about the various plants & gardens.

According to the tram driver, many of the garden areas are being kept up by various sources. He told us a story about this house & that it is now owned (or at least partly owned) by Better Homes & Garden Magazine. I found that curious.

REDISCOVERY FOREST

A very well managed demonstration forest area. It was beautiful and had lots of information. However, it was a bit too well kept to be an accurate representation of what our forests look like. We live in the hills of the Coast Range and there is a lot more depth in the plants than what is shown here.

Many Christmas trees throughout the country are grown right here in Oregon. We have a few friends that have Christmas tree farms. As part of the Rediscovery Forest, rows of Christmas trees were on display.

CHILDREN’S GARDEN

If I had to pick a favorite part of the Oregon Garden, this would be it. I adored all the whimsy.

Left: Mrs. & Mr. Potts
Right: Dolphin topiary

Awesome bench. Awesome weather vane.

Of all the gardens, the one idea I’m most likely to use at my own house is probably unconventional. I’ve had the idea of making a hobbit house for the kids for a little while now. But, seeing this one in person convinced me that we totally need one. My immediate reaction was how much our goats would love to climb on it. We have two piles of dirt that need rehoming & we need permanent housing for our goats. It’s a no-brainer to combine the two & make the shelter for the goats a hobbit house.

AND MORE…

Avondale Redbud
The one plant/tree that I wanted to come home with. I love the magenta color.

Silverton Market Garden
One area displayed different ways to grow a variety of crops. There were trellises with grape vines & raised beds ready to be planted. I, of course, was happy to see a chicken coop.

Left: The 400 year old Signature Oak. It is one of Oregon’s heritage trees.

LETTERBOXING

The kids & I like to search for letterboxes. We found a couple at the Oregon Garden. Yay!

The kids enjoyed this garden so much & wanted to stay longer, but as it was we were going to be a few minutes late for Farm Girl’s gymnastics class. We will definitely need to visit again. I’m thinking maybe even this summer. I’d love to see the gardens in full summer bloom.

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