The annual HPSO Open Gardens program continues in August with almost 30 private and public gardens open on weekends and some on Monday evenings.  Several gardens are open for the first time and it is also a chance to see gardens that you missed earlier in the year.

Some of the gardens open in August include:

Babbit / Bartholomew garden (Photo by Phillip Oliver of Dirt Therapy

Michael Babbit & Ellen Bartholomew

This small garden packs a punch with borders of roses and drought-tolerant plants along the hell-strip and driveway. The back garden is a labyrinth of garden rooms shaded by apricot and apple trees. Glass art and copper structures add colorful touches throughout. The owners are bonsai enthusiasts and have a work area filled with their ongoing creations.  This garden is open August 12 from 10-4 and August 13 from 4-dusk. It is also open by appointment.

Eastman / Griffin garden (Photo by Kate McMillan of Cultiverity)

Peter Eastman & Dayrol Griffin 

This garden near the busy Mississippi Avenue district is a colorful and serene garden thirty years in the making. A formal rose garden was recently converted to a tropical oasis with banana trees, gingers, cannas, dahlias, crocosmia and an array of hot colored plants. A flagstone patio is surrounded by more perennials and climbing roses. Privacy from the street is provided by bamboo, tetrapanax, abutilon, banana and mahonia. A shade garden with rhododendron, daphne, mahonia, hostas, ferns and hellebores are shaded by specimen conifers and Aspen trees. Open August 25 from 10-4 and August 27 from 5-9. It is also open by appointment.

Paulat / Pinson garden (Photo by Tamara Paulat of Chickadee Gardens)

Tamara Paulat & David Pinson – “Chickadee Gardens’

Paulat and Pinson moved from Portland to St. Helens, Oregon two years ago and began creating a garden on a blank slate. Their two acre garden is home to a variety of young plants, chief among them pollinator plants to attract wildlife. This includes perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, bulbs, vines and annuals and many Pacific Northwest natives. Readers of Paulat’s blog “Chickadee Gardens” will not want to miss this garden! Open August 4 from 9-1 and by appointment.

Carson/Shucka garden (Photo by Alyse Lansing of Garden Inspiration Blog)

Eloise Carson & Frank Shucka

This 1/4 acre garden in the Brindlemile neighborhood features a formal boxwood garden, a contemplation shade garden, an entertainment patio and a long alley with shade plants on one side and sun plants on the other. The owners grow tender succulents and other tender plants in a greenhouse that serves as a reading room during the summer. Open August 11 from 9-1 and by appointment.

Wildlife Botanical Gardens (Photo by Phillip Oliver of Dirt Therapy)

Wildlife Botanical Gardens

The Wildlife Botanical Gardens is a three-acre demonstration garden in Brush Prairie, Washington that teaches homeowners how to create sanctuaries for attracting birds and wildlife to their properties. Composed of eleven garden rooms with individual themes, the focus is on Pacific Northwest native plants and includes over 500 species and varieties. Most plants and trees are labeled. Step into the “Hummingbird Garden” and you will immediately hear the buzz of hummers flying all around you. A “Manor Garden” showcases non-native plants in an English Manor style and a “Cottage Garden” shows how even the smallest property can design for maximum wildlife benefits.  Composting demonstration techniques and water-wise gardening are just two other attractions to this educational and beautiful oasis.

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If you’re not yet a member of HPSO and would like to visit some of these gardens, become a member today to receive your Open Gardens directory with details!

If you are a HPSO member with an open garden this season & would like to have your garden featured on the blog, please contact us.