Guess what, everyone...the fling is now officially only ONE MONTH AWAY!!! I know, I know...it's hard to believe, but a month from now, you'll all be out here in beautiful Portland, OR enjoying our beautiful city. We've got three incredibly packed days of gardens and nurseries for you...and we can't wait to show them off. Without further ado...here's our itinerary! *SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Pomarius Nursery - Thursday Night Pre-Fling Cocktail Party!
For those who arrive early, we hope you can join us at Pomarius Nursery in NW Portland. Bus departs at 6pm and returns at 9pm. Please bring $15 to cover transportation. If you miss the bus to the event, fret not...it's a quick cab ride (or, if you don't mind walking a few blocks, you can also take the streetcar)!
The first day is also the longest, so I hope you got enough rest the night before!
Timber Press
We depart the hotel lobby promptly at 8am and walk a few blocks to Timber Press, local publisher of a myriad of gardening titles. The kind folks at Timber are providing a light continental-style breakfast for us to enjoy while we browse their titles and learn a little bit about their company.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
From Timber's offices downtown, we'll take another short walk into Old Town, home of our next stop, the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the result of a collaboration between the cities of Portland and Suzhou (Portland'ds sister city in China).
Cistus Nursery
After we depart the Chinese Garden, we're off further afield to Cistus Nursery. Cistus Nursery is a unique micro-nursery, offering plants found virtually nowhere else in the industry. Tour the display gardens or indulge in some shopping!
Joy Creek Nursery
We'll leave Cistus around noon and should arrive at Joy Creek Nursery just in time some well-earned lunch! Relax with your lunch, or stroll around the beautiful display gardens...and you certainly don't want to miss the retail area!
Old Germantown Gardens
Once we leave Joy Creek, we head off to Old Germantown Road Garden. Tucked away on a wooded parcel near Forest Park, Old Germantown Gardens is a nearly 2-acre hillside garden that is a wealth of garden diversity.
Westwind Farm Studio
After Old Germantown Gardens, we'll head just down the road to Westwind Farm Studio. Westwind has breathtaking overlooks and undulating movement of grasses which combine to bring you a feeling of serenity and connection to wind and earth.
After we bid farewell to Westwind, we'll head back downtown to our hotel, where we'll have our Banquet in their gracious ballroom.
Yesterday was pretty intense, right? Well, guess what, you get to sleep in a bit today. At 9:30, we board the buses and depart for the Portland Japanese Garden.
Portland Japanese Garden
Proclaimed the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan, the Portland Japanese Garden is a 5.5-acre haven of tranquil beauty nestled in the scenic west hills of Portland, Oregon.
After our time at the Japanese garden, we'll enjoy lunch at the Rose Test Garden.
After lunch, the two buses will each go their own way...so these next gardens will appear in a different order, depending on which bus you're on.
McMenamins Kennedy School
For some of you, your first stop will be the beautiful gardens at McMenamin's Kennedy School. McMenamins gardens, not just at the Kennedy School, but Edgefield, Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, Grand Lodge, Rock Creek Tavern, Ander- son School (soon), and Wilsonville, to name a few, are meant to inspire, entertain, soothe, nourish, and embrace everyone who visits them!
Danger Garden
Surely you are all familiar with our next garden, it's the well-known garden of our very own Loree Bohl, the Danger Garden! This is a collector’s garden with little attention paid to what style-purists might think. The Danger Garden displays Loree's love of the rare and unusual mixed up with a lot of spikes.
JJ De Sousa Garden
Our next garden is that of JJ De Sousa. Describing her garden, De Sousa says, "Our garden has two distinct personalities with one common goal. One personality is lush, soft and shady while the second personality is hot, dry and spiky. Both serve to expand indoor living space into outdoor areas with a focus on entertaining."
Chickadee Gardens
A fairly new and small garden, certified gold by the Backyard Habitat Certification Program. Many Pacific Northwest natives, plus a mix of hardy perennials arranged mostly by color.
Our day should end around 6 or 6:30, at which time we will return to the hotel...and your evening is yours to do with as you please!
On our last day, we board the buses at 9am to depart for NE Portland. Once again, the buses will split up and follow separate routes until the final garden...so the gardens listed may be in a different order, depending on which bus you are on.
Linda Ernst and Joanne Fuller Gardens
Here we will get to visit the side-by-side gardens of neighbors Joanne Fuller and Linda Ernst, two gardening neighbors who've been lucky enough to live next to each other. Different, but complimentary styles work together in these beautiful, refined gardens.
Rhone Street Gardens
After enjoying the sophistication of the previous gardens, get ready for the rough-and-tumble, free-for-all atmosphere of Rhone Street Gardens. It's every plant for itself in this exuberant garden where the cats are outnumbered only by the grasses.
John Kuzma Garden
Having spent the morning on the East Side, we now head over to the West Side of Portland, where we visit the garden of John Kuzma. Full of many exotic and tender plants, John's garden is zone-pushing, with many successes and a few failures. Depending on which bus you are on, you will either have your lunch here, or at the next garden.
Floramagoria
The Floramagoria garden has a bit of a split personality. The front is elegant, refined and very "Northwesty", head around the back, however, and you'll be struck by an over-the-top display of botanic beauty! Throughout the garden, you will find interesting artwork, a custom metal fire pit, a one-of-a-kind floral chandelier in the dining area and an amazing colorful insect tile mosaic.
Bella Madrona
It's sad, we know, but this is our final garden on the tour. We end the 2014 Fling at the charming garden, well-known locally as 'The Garden of Sampson & Beasley', Bella Madrona. Quirky and full of humor, you could wander for hours in this garden and only scratch the surface of what it has to offer. Light snacks and drinks will also be served. We'll depart between 6 and 6:30 for the hotel.