Portland's Alluring Gardens

I just returned from Portland, after visiting my daughter and her wife. I am always amazed by the beauty of this city, with the dreamlike evergreen trees everywhere in sight. In Portland, almost every house has a front yard garden. Walking through city neighborhoods, I see the colorful blooms, thriving roses, and lovely conifers that exemplify Portland residents' love of gardening. Walking around neighborhoods in this city is an treat! Ironically, the rainy weather that Portland endures much of the year contributes to a wonderful growing environment for a wide variety of plants. Tourists to this city have amazing public and private gardens to enjoy.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden is in the Chinatown district of Portland, in the Old Town. I saw this garden soon after my daughter moved to Portland. Chinese gardens are rare in the US, and this is considered one of the best in the country. I have traveled to Chinese gardens in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and Portland's has the unique elements of a Chinese garden. The beautifully designed stone garden paths are my favorite feature of Chinese gardens, as well as the amazing garden "windows" and gates from which one can experience spectacular views into the next part of the garden. Colorful blossoms from azaleas and camellias are everywhere in Chinese gardens, and the Portland Lan Su garden has all of these elements,, including a beautiful pond.

Washington Park is an urban Portland park that houses two of the city's famous gardens: The Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden. Portland's nickname is "The City of Roses", and the rose garden lives up to that name. When I first came to Portland in 2008, this was the main garden that I wanted to see. Hundreds of roses please any garden lover, and this is still the best rose garden that I have personally seen. Although rain plagues Portland in fall, winter, and spring, summer is surprisingly dry, and roses thrive in this environment. The Portland rose garden also has "test gardens" for new varieties of roses, so that new disease resistant roses can be developed. The rose garden is truly a joyful experience!

The Japanese Garden is regarded by many gardeners as the best Japanese garden in the United States. This garden, in contrast to the rose garden and Chinese garden, is not about blooms. While there are blooming plants like azaleas, laurels, and wisteria, this garden is not about flare and color. This is a peaceful, green garden space that emphasizes shapes and textures. There is a beautiful pond, natural paths, and lanterns throughout the garden. And a classic feature of this garden is moss, which is also a feature all over the city of Portland. The consistent moisture brings moss to rocks and garden structures, and this makes the garden seem surreal. As in other Japanese gardens, there are plenty of benches in which to sit and be a part of the garden. After visiting this garden several times now, I would say that this garden, for me, is the most special of any garden in this city. The best part is that it is a meaningful, meditative garden in a subtle but effective way. It is a perfect Japanese garden without shouting "this is a Japanese garden". This garden is all about letting oneself experience it in their own way. I had always wanted to try to create this very space in my own garden, but now realize that this is impossible, although I am working on my moss garden!

I would highly recommend visiting the amazing gardens in the city of Portland. There truly is something for every gardener or non-gardener to rave about.  I assure you that you will be inspired! 
And you will understand that rain isn't such a bad thing after all!