W W W JU STO U TCO M
JUNE <1 2010
V O IC E S
I love to travel to visit gardens, or to fit in
visiting them when I am traveling. I’ve visited
gardens from Texas to Hawaii, Victoria, B.C.
to Western Australia.
But you don’t have to travel far to experi­
ence a garden getaway, as I recently learned.
Only an hour drive away and just outside
Silverton lies the Oregon Garden and Resort.
The resort is the newest addition at the gar­
den, and after a particularly grueling week, my
partner and I—and our dog, W ink— headed
south for some garden therapy.
I hadn’t been to the Oregon Garden in a
long while. My memories of the garden were
mainly from its earliest days of construction,
when they had finished the concert venue/
bowl area and I went to a quintessential out­
door summer concert, featuring Pink M ar­
tini. It was a beautiful evening, but later visits
turned out to be ho-hum. I ’m glad we went
back, and I’m even more glad there’s now a
resort on the grounds.
In 2006, Moonstone Properties purchased
the Oregon Garden. Known for their garden-
themed hotels and inns, this is an owner who
knows, values and loves gardens. The resort
opened in 2008 and is hidden away at the
back o f the Oregon Garden, boasting a main
lodge, restaurant, lounge with a great fire­
place, swimming pool and various buildings
housing guest rooms. The rooms are pleasant
and well tended to, and the fireplaces are a
THE
SASSY
GARDENER
by LeAnn Locher
The O re g o n G a rd e n features a
variety of g a rd e n s to visit, and
we w eren't d isa p p o in te d .
nice warming touch, especially when you’ve
been out experiencing the gardens.
W hen you stay at the resort, admission to
the Oregon Garden is free, but even better?
You can go before and after general public
hours via a special gate just for those stay­
ing at the resort. And even better than that?
The resort welcomes dogs, as does the garden.
After an early morning breakfast, the three of
us experienced much of the attraction w ith­
out another soul in sight. O ur dog W ink is
our family, and to be able to have her along
for the weekend getaway made it even more
special. So what about the garden?
The Oregon Garden features a variety of
gardens to visit, and we weren’t disappointed.
The upper gardens are home to the wetlands
and the water garden. A natural means of
filtration for the city o f Sil­
verton, the water garden is
an award-winning site with
environmental sustainabil­
ity at the core o f its design.
But for us, it was lovely to
walk among the marshy
bogs, cross bridges and take
in the morning reflection o f
a rare clear blue sky.
The day we visited, the
Conifer Garden was being
pruned by volunteers, who
were happy to engage us in
conversation about the many evergreens in
all shapes and sizes. I’m always lamenting
the lack o f winter structure in our garden at
home, and I could see how a few choice coni­
fers could really help give bones to the garden
when it’s bare everywhere else.
W ink enjoyed the pet-friendly garden,
with water bowls for the visiting canine
friends, and we took in the different designs
o f the garden to accommodate dogs and cats,
like warm rocks in the sun for cats to stretch
out on.
Thanks to the Sensory Garden, I was in­
troduced to the incredibly strange, contorted
and spiky Japanese Hardy Orange, Poncirus
trifoliate “Flying Dragon” and now have one
in a pot on my back patio. Yes, it’s hardy in our
zone, and yes, this plant produces fruit, but the
LEANN LOCHER
Escaping to Gardens. Near or Far
bizarre form and huge thorns scare me, and
that is what I love the most about it.
As for the unexpected find on this trip? The
Silver Grille in downtown Silverton offers the
most wonderful food with impeccable service
in a quality setting. The chef is a gardener and
grows much o f the produce served in the res­
taurant, and the wine selection is stellar. Don’t
miss out on having dinner at The Silver Grille
when you’re in town: it’s high on my list for our
next visit. And this time, I’m going to check
out the spa services at the resort. I’ll make sure
to report back.
LeAnn Locher w ill talk about gardening to
anyone who w ill listen, including on her internet
radio show and podcast, Lelo Homemade, airing
Fridays at noon on pdx.am. You can reach her at
sassygardener@gmail. com.
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