Cultivated Pleasures

If it’s May, it must be rhododendrons. If it’s June, time for roses. That’s how garden enthusiasts view the calendar. The lucky ones do so in Oregon, where public gardens proliferate like the hardiest of climbing roses through spring, summer and on into the fall.

Shore Acres State Park
Shore Acres is a supreme example of Oregon’s botanical treasures. Perched atop a sandstone cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the park is a study in contrasts. Seven acres of serene formal gardens — the essence of controlled loveliness — rise above a sea so untamed, rocky and wildly beautiful, it vies for the visitor’s attention.

In 1906, lumber and shipping magnate Louis J. Simpson built a rambling mansion on the cliff and cleared several forested acres for his elegant gardens. From his business empire in Coos Bay, 13 miles northeast of Shore Acres, Simpson directed the captains of his ships to seek out exotic trees and plants while delivering timber overseas. They obliged with plants and cuttings from Asia, the South Seas, Europe and Africa. By 1915, Simpson enjoyed one of Oregon’s largest, most extraordinary gardens.

Today, tidy boxwood borders line a central walkway that cuts a swath through symmetrical English gardens. Robust rhododendrons, roses and dahlias fill formally defined beds with fragrance and color much of the year. Immense bronze cranes wade through a 100-foot-long oval lily pond in the nearby Japanese garden. And though only 10 percent of the garden’s current plantings are from Simpson’s era, his love for the exotic is honored with plants and trees collected from countries around the world.

Simpson’s original home, complete with indoor swimming pool and ballroom, burned in 1921. A second, even larger home was razed in 1949. Grass and weeds now overwhelm the cliff-top tennis court, where the lumber baron and his guests once shouted “15-Love!” over the ocean’s roar. Simpson’s masterful gardens and his legacy to the public are all that remain of the millionaire’s palatial estate on the bluff.

Simpson personally welcomed the public to his gardens, sometimes even handing out cuttings to visitors. In 1942, financially unable to maintain his sprawling estate, Simpson sold it to the state of Oregon with the express wish that his gardens remain accessible to the masses. Today, his formal gardens remain the centerpiece of what is now Shore Acres State Park.

Shore Acres celebrates its garden with events year ’round. Rhododendron Sunday is Mother’s Day, May 12. Rose Sunday is Father’s Day, June 16. The park celebrates its boldest blossom on Dahlia Day, Sept. 21. Admission to the park is $3.

Hendricks Park
Eugene’s Hendricks Park is one of Oregon’s premier spots to view an impressive variety
of rhododendrons. Founded in 1951 by the Eugene Parks Department and a local chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, the 77-acre park sits on a forested ridge east of the University of Oregon campus, overlooking the city and the rolling Willamette River.
The garden boasts an international reputation for the quality and variety of the plants, most donated by local rhododendron enthusiasts. The 15-acre rhododendron garden contains 5,000 robust specimens, in addition to 1,000 azaleas, magnolias, viburnums and other plants.

With some plants approaching the heights of the surrounding oaks, the park features plenty of grassy areas and wooden benches, inviting guests to contemplate the spectacular display. There’s history here, too. A massive stone fireplace built by WPA workers in 1938 lends the promise of occasional warmth, thanks to the recently added picnic shelter. (The original structure was destroyed by a falling tree.)

Hendricks Park’s Rhododendron Garden peaks in April and May, when there are free garden tours at 1 p.m. every Sunday. Admission to the park is free.

International Rose Test Gardens
What better place to contemplate the world’s most famous flower than the City of Roses? Every summer, an estimated 2 million rose fans visit Portland for the annual Rose Festival. During the citywide celebration, Washington Park’s International Rose Test Gardens take center stage.

Since 1917, garden lovers have been enjoying the test garden’s panoramic views of the city and Mt. Hood. But they really come for the terraced garden’s dizzying collection of 10,000 rose bushes in 600 varieties.

Fragrant blossoms with intriguing names such as Happy Wanderer, Knock Out and Marmalade Skies bloom beneath climbing varieties such as the charming red and white Dortmund, which clings to pathway arches overhead.

The 4.5-acre garden is the country’s oldest continuously operating public rose test garden. It is one of 24 gardens across the country where 48 varieties are observed and eval-uated over a two-year period. Those that pass the national test are named and eventually made commercially available. The select few then join other “winners” in the garden, which are displayed in chronologically arranged beds, beginning with the top-rated roses for 1919.

For optimum viewing, visit the Rose Test Gardens during June’s Rose Festival and throughout the remaining summer months. Admission to the rose gardens is free.