The state of Oregon has some of the most fertile land in the US, with regions known for their grape, apple and berry plantations.
The climate and soil also create ideal conditions for maintaining a number of botanical gardens. Oregon’s largest city, Portland, and the Willamette Valley are home to beautiful gardens that represent the best of the region and many countries around the world. You can spend a good part of the day visiting these three Portland gardens before exploring the surrounding gardens.
award winning Japanese garden
The peaceful Portland Japanese Garden is located in Washington Park in the West Hills, overlooking downtown Portland. The site is 2.2 hectares and is home to five gardens, each with unique characteristics. One of the highlights is the Strolling Pond Garden, where there is water, bridges and many colorful trees. For the best views, visit this garden in the summer and autumn months, between June and December.
The award-winning Japanese garden opened to the public in 1967 after four years of planning and development. According to the Journal of Japanese Gardening, this is the second-best Japanese garden out of 300 competitors outside Japan. A recent renovation has added seven new areas to the garden, in addition to its first tea house.
Portland: the city of roses
A few meters from the path that leads to the Portland Japanese Garden, there is the famous International Rose Test Garden (International Rose Garden), where there are more than 7 thousand roses of approximately 550 species. In addition to free admission, there are free tours at 1 pm, which run every day from late May to early September.
The Portland Rose Society is the non-profit association founded in 1889, responsible for maintaining the garden. Founded by Georgiana Burton Pittock, a member of the Pittock Mansion family, the partnership and rose garden are some of the reasons why Portland is known as “the city of roses”.
Garden in Chinatown
Located in Chinatown in downtown Portland, Lan Su Chinese Garden is a peaceful retreat from the bustling streets that surround the garden.
The venue is inspired by models of gardens from China’s Ming Dynasty, which were opened so that the public could escape the difficulties of everyday life. At Lan Su Garden there is a tea house (reservations required) and a variety of Chinese-inspired activities.
Beautiful Gardens near Portland
About an hour and a half from Portland is the Oregon Garden, a lush 32.3-hectare botanical garden. It is possible to spend the whole day exploring the place, which also houses the Gordon House, designed by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The garden is open year-round, but the best time to visit is summer, between June and September, or during the Family Harvest Days event, held on Saturdays in October. You can walk around or join a guided tour to discover the property.
One option is to spend more days on site and stay at the Oregon Garden Resort, which has a spa and a dining area overlooking the garden.
The family-owned Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is about an hour’s drive from downtown Portland, offering beautiful views of Mount Hood, Oregon’s tallest peak at 11,000 feet. of altitude. The best time of year to visit the farm is from mid-March to the end of May, when the 16 hectares of tulips remain in bloom.
Wine tasting amidst a beautiful setting.
Less than an hour from Portland in Hillsboro is Garden Vineyards. With views of Oregon ‘s Tualatin Valley, an area much more like Tuscany than the Pacific Northwest, Garden Vineyards is a great combination of beauty and local wine tasting. You can also bring your own picnic or order one of the farm’s baskets.
