The Oregon Garden, slice of Paradise

We visited The Oregon Garden in the winter of 2009. We could see the potential, but thought we would like to see it in the summer when there were some actual flowers in sight. Last summer, we got free tickets with our hotel stay in Silverton, but the day was hot and we ran out of time so we figured we would save them till this summer.

Friday was the day and the gardens were in full bloom.

This gardener and her husband were in ecstasy!

Here are some of the joys of the visit.

Sea holly was one of the first sights to meet our eyes. I really want some of this in my garden, even though it smells faintly peculiar.

I never knew it came in white, but here it is.

Swathes of colour were everywhere.

Water features abound.

I don't know what this is, but I really like it.
Anyone?
Note to self: acanthus.

Likewise this ground cover. Anyone know what it is?

The earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! 

I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one. Edna St. Vincent Millay.

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I must have flowers, always, and always. Claude Monet.

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair. Susan Polis Schultz.

I liked this clearing.
It made me want to have a pow-wow.

The children's garden is quite delightful.

The Hobbit found herself a hole.

Can you answer the riddles?
If anyone gets number seven, please explain it to me. I know the answer but don't get it at all.

The train looked fun but it wasn't working.
Boo.

We heard a chirping and looked up to see this baby chickadee (I think) sitting in the entrance to the birdhouse.

A cupola above...

...and this plaque below created a nice place to rest, which we would have done had we time to linger.
But we didn't.
However, this motto found a place in my heart.

A view of the Oregon Garden Resort, one of my favourite hotels in the world.

And you can see some of the many volunteers who were spending their Friday weeding the gardens.

We admired this tree rose, enjoyed its sweet smell, and then realised it is Jeff's long-time favourite, Angel Face.

Gallardia is delicious in all of its incarnations.
Bud.

Flower.

And beginning seed pod.

No kidding.

This zinnia reminds me of something from Vincent Van Gogh. No editing created this colour, it is all intact.

These are pineapple guava flowers, known as feijoas in New Zealand. My last few trips to the country have been during feijoa harvest time and I had forgotten the beauty of the flowers.

I had mused aloud about the possibility of foraging deer in the gardens, and then we saw this.

And lastly, these two wee philosophers, philosophizing in the bonsai garden.

I hope you've enjoyed this little taste of The Oregon Garden as much as we enjoyed our visit. It's worth the drive and admission fee at least once in your life.