Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland

May 04, 2025

Stepping Into May

Rhododendron 'Klondyke' and Geranium maculatum May is already here and the garden suddenly explodes with growth. We spent the weekend watering (already?) because there hasn't been significant rainfall in a while. We don't have a sprinkler system so it is all manpower, dragging hoses and sprinklers. It takes two days - one for the back and one for the front - to water everything. It is possible to get it all in one day if we start really early. The rhododendrons are beginning now - 'Mandarin Lights' 'Jean Marie De Montague' 'Percy Wiseman' - beautiful but suffers from lacebug. I'm considering replacing it or maybe I will try and treat it. A favorite right now is the Chilean Potato Vine ( Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin'). This plant is hardier than you might imagine. Some sources list it as a "9", others an "8". It is going on its third year in our garden, having been moved once. It is sheltered somewhat by a fence but ...

Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon

The Tom McCall Waterfront Park (named for a former Oregon governor), stretches along the western side of the Willamette River. At the southern tip is a harbor, restaurants (we ate at a good seafood restaurant here) and an amazing garden filled with ornamental grasses and other plants. This is where these photographs were taken.

If you head north, you approach a walking area (you can see it in the bottom photograph, next to the seafood restaurant), that extends all the way up to Naito Parkway and the downtown area where our condo was located. This area is popular with joggers, bikers, people walking their pets, etc. The space was once a freeway. It was torn down in 1975 and this park was created. It opened to the public in 1978.