Silverton 26 August 2018

Oregon Garden

Sharon took us to the Oregon Garden today. What an ambitious undertaking: 80 acres of intensely landscaped southwest facing hillside. Sharon is especially interested in the conifers, which makes sense here in Oregon where conifers rule.  The conifer garden is indeed spectacular, and very diverse. Most of the matrix below came from that area.

There's also a resort and spa with, Sharon says, a lamentable restaurant, and this is obviously a well-oiled event venue – two weddings apparently working today. There's a rose garden (not in good shape at this time of year); a bunch of water features with koi in some, hydrilla and lotus in others; a huge Zinnia garden with lots of showy, colorful blooms.

We last visited this garden perhaps 10 years ago, when it was just getting started. One feature I especially appreciate: most of the Garden's water supply comes from the nearby Silverton waste treatment facility; the water features provide tertiary treatment, so the water that's run through them can be used for irrigation.

Here's a mystery plant that I liked.

We're spending a quiet Sunday here in Silverton. There's been a lot of drama around here during the last week, and everyone needs to take a moment to get centered.