Garden Tour - 5 Southwest Portland Gardens

This past Saturday, some friends and I made a day of one of my favorite activities - looking at other people's gardens. The tour featured five gardens in the southwest Portland area and was sponsored by the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon.

Our first stop was the only garden that I've seen before - Stephen Morgan & Marilyn Laufenberg's colorful garden that overlooks Stephen's Creek Natural Area, which is a steep ravine. I've been to their garden at least two times in the past. I absolutely love it, and I'm always astounded at what they have accomplished. Just looking at the terrain, it is obvious that this was no easy feat.

The garden wraps around the back of their home and is a series of steps and narrow pathways, brimming with all kinds of plants (many tropical) and touches of whimsey.

My laugh of the day came when I saw this sign posted at the entry to the garden -

They said that the rabbits had been terrible this year. You would not notice it by looking around - I certainly didn't.

One thing I love about this garden is that there are numerous places to sit and enjoy the views. The largest sitting area is this beautiful deck that gives a bird-eye view of the garden -

Then there are smaller, cozier places to relax -

There are lovely vignettes at every turn -

And whimsey -

Looking up from the lowest pathway -

The street-side of the house is shaded and the front entry is fantastic -

There were lots of lilies, even in the shadier spots in front -

On to the second garden, which belongs to Vivian and David Solomon. In the front is a small vegetable garden, surrounded by a deer fence that was the talk of everyone. It was beautiful and I totally forgot to get a photo or make a note of the fence designer's name that was on a plaque.

The front garden was once shaded but an ice storm in 2024 took out several trees and it became a sun garden -

The back is shadier, with massive firs towering overhead. A slope leads down to a cottage garden -

My friend Linda admiring the cape fuchsia (Phygelius) and wondering if this is one plant! -

Something you don't see that often in gardens here - a hammock! -

But, no time for relaxation as we are on to the third garden - Dian Kinzey-Morby and Jack Morby's garden, which was also wonderfully shaded by mature trees.

This garden won me over right away because there were Ghirardelli chocolates and lemonade. And an interesting water feature to admire while eating chocolate -

Described on the brochure as "a bird and plant paradise", the garden has perennials, ferns and a variety of trees and shrubs. There is an observation deck at the back that overlooks the garden.

I was eager to see Barry & Karen Gates' new garden in Beaverton. I visited their last garden in Camas a few years ago. They sold that rural, five-acre property (they had lived there for over 30 years), and downsized to a house to be nearer family. And downsize they did! The new garden is 7,000 square feet!

In the short time since they moved in, they had a professional hardscape installed to improve drainage. Planting beds run along the perimeter of the garden. They brought four U-Haul truck loads of plants from their last garden. 

One of those areas is the "desert garden", an elevated berm filled with loose soil and gravel. The area in the foreground is planted with sedum and other low-growing plants that like sun and low-water. Bees were buzzing all over this area.

There are a large number of pots and bonsai -

The light here is part-sun to full sun. Along the shadier fence row are conifers, hostas, rhododendron and fuchsias -

And, last but not least, this little guy. He doesn't belong to them but visits daily and follows Barry around the garden. They said he is a good guy and he doesn't bother birds -

The last garden of the day is the garden of Gene Rozenboom and Randy Patton. It is called "De Tuin Bij Montmore". This garden was a treat because we got a guided tour from Gene! He walked us around and pointed out the most interesting and unusual plants, and there were many.

Closest to the house is a large collection of conifers, including some miniature varieties. There was a very cute 'Whipcord' arborvitae that I apparently didn't get a photo of.  -

They recently purchased the adjoining property - more space to garden! It is here that they installed the "Dutch Wave" garden, inspired by Piet Oudolf. Unfortunately, the sun and time of day were not conducive for good photos -

The tall plant with the fuzzy white balls is Eryngium yuccifolium, with the
dreadful common name of "Rattlesnake Master".

It was a very nice day, with temperatures in the 70s, not any of that crazy 100F stuff that we are having today (as I'm writing this, the temperature is exactly 100). 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy