The Flying Colors of Spring
Plant a ruler in fall in Oregon and by spring it will be a yardstick. Spring, with its high color, sounds and smells, is Oregon's most glorious season
1.
Garden of Enchantment
Begin your trip in the mountain village of Sandy, 30 miles east of Portland and experience the unique Oral Hull 5-sense Garden of Enchantment, maintained by and for blind people. Have a whiff of lavender or a taste of stevia while listening to wind chimes and water features. Loop around to Hwy 211 and visit Philip Foster Farm, an 1883 National Historic Register farm along the Barlow Road with a heritage apple orchard, garden and the oldest lilac tree in Oregon.
2.
Into the Rose City
Twenty miles west in the breezy city of Portland take a walk in Washington Park for 2 of Portland's renowned gardens, The International Rose Test Garden with hundreds of varieties of roses yielding spectacular blooms from late May through July, and the Japanese Garden, once heralded by a Japanese ambassador as being the most authentic Japanese garden in America. Enjoy one of many cafes on nearby 23rd Sreet, a shopping, eating, people-watching mecca. Check in at your Portland area hotel and the next morning, stop at the Classical Chinese Garden in the heart of Portland’s China Town. Though only a city block, you will forget you are in Portland and feel magically transported to the Orient.
3.
West Linn to Silverton
Drive south the next morning on Hwy 43 to the Berry Botanical Garden, a former private garden with beautiful grounds and a fascinating seed library. Continue south to the town of West Linn for lunch at the Oregon Grape Nursery and Footpath Cafe, an old farmhouse converted into a nursery, café and garden center. Take a stroll along the Historic Willamette District after lunch and visit a hardware store with a nursery oasis hidden in the back of the store. Keep south to the town of Canby where flower farms abound, bursting with ribbons of tulip and daffodil color in March/April, and dahlias in August/September.
Check in at a local area hotel or quaint B&B for the night and the next day, take scenic Hwy 213 past Molalla to the charming town of Silverton and the astounding Oregon Garden, boasting 65 acres of manicured, wetland, Pacific Northwest, rose, water, conifer and other amazing gardens. Arrange to spend the day exploring this Oregon treasure before dining in Silverton and heading for home.