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Bush Pasture Park
600 Mission St. SE
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 581-2228
Salem Art Association, Bush Barn Gardens always open to the
public.
Greenhouse: 9am – 4pm weekdays and weekend afternoons.
Built by Mr. Bush for his daughters in 1882, is now the oldest
greenhouse in Oregon and is filled with period plants, maintained
by volunteers.Originally the home of Asahel Bush, pioneer
banker and newspaperman, Bush’s Pasture Park now boasts
a delicious mix of open spaces, walking paths, gardens, and
a Victorian greenhouse. Native garry oaks tower over the main
axis of the park, while a spectacular well-laden collection
of unusual flowering shrubs and trees add color from late
winter to midsummer in the area surrounding the Bush House
Museum and rose gardens.The rose gardens themselves date from
the late 1950s, and include extensive older hybrid tea plantings
as well as the Tartar Old Rose Collection - the finest collection
of old roses on public property in the Northwest.
Other features include tulip/annual beds, a small herb garden,
extensive plantings of deciduous azaleas, and perennial borders.
The latter are currently under refurbishment by The Friends
of Bush Gardens, a volunteer organization assisting the Salem
Parks Operations Division. A recently constructed Victorian-style
gazebo provides a focal point for the rose gardens and invites
you rest a moment in this fine and unique setting.
Historic Deepwood Gardens
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 363-1825
Gardens open daily dawn to dusk. Reserved for weddings many
summer Saturdays.
The English style gardens of Historic Deepwoods Estate were
created by Lord and Schryver in 1929. The formerly private
garden consists of a series of beautifully designed garden
room surrounding an 1894 Queen Anne style home, and a natural
area of special interest in early spring. Extensive use of
evergreen plant material and the excellence of the design
make the garden of interest in all seasons. A 270-foot Gertrude
Jekyll inspired border garden, herb gardens, shade garden,
and greenhouse further enhance the property. The gardens are
jointly maintained by the Salem Parks Operations Division
and the volunteer Deepwoods Gardeners.
Oregon State Capitol Grounds
155 Waverly St. NE
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 378-4286
Parks open year around, dawn to dusk. Staff present weekdays,
7am - 3:30pm.
A walk through the Capitol can offer a wondrous escape from
the outside world, if only for a short time. Within the boundaries
of the Capitol grounds exist hundreds of varieties of trees,
shrubs, and flowers which provide a dazzling display for all
seasons.
Special plantings by garden clubs such as the Fuchsia Society,
Salem Garden Club, and the Rose Society, give their seasonal
explosion of color on the grounds. A visit to the Capitol
will indeed be a memorable one.
Willamette University
Martha Springer Botanical Garden,
Sesquicentennial Rose Garden,
Germaine Fuller Japanese Garden
900 State Street
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 370-6143
Campus gardens always open to interested visitors.
Three special gardens have been created at Willamette University,
and the beautifully landscaped 61-acre campus which spans
the Mill Race also has more than 1,000 trees and several sculptures.
The Martha Springer Botanical Garden, located behind Sparks
Center, has 12 areas, including a butterfly garden, herb garden,
alpine rock garden, theme borders, and Oregon native areas.
The Sesquicentennial Rose Garden, planted in 1992, is directly
across State Street from the Oregon Capitol.
The Germaine Fuller Japanese Garden is south of the Art Building
at State and Winter Streets.
Nearby is another campus landmark, five Giant Redwoods known
as the Star Trees, the Redwoods of Willamette University.
These five Sequoia Redwoods on State Street are referred to
as the "Cathedral of the Centuries" by Willamette
University. They were planted to honor the school’s 100th
anniversary in 1942. From the interior of their pattern, they
form a star to remind us that "yet unborn generations"
will be served by Salem’s first college. One of the students
who planted the trees, Warne Nunn, later became president
of the University’s Board of Trustees. The trees were
first illuminated by Christmas lights since 1997.
Oregon State Fairgrounds Oak Grove
A patch of Oregon white oaks has, for than a century, been
the gateway to the Oregon State Fair near 17th and NE Portland
Road. Utilized by fair-goers who sometimes came from long
distances, the grove annually became a veritable tent city
at what was then the outskirts of Salem. In the years before
the big, statewide event, the Kalapuya Indians used the site
- with its stand of oaks - during their migrations through
the valley.
Camas plants used by the native people continue to grow in
the grove. Although the grove has been used heavily over the
ensuing years, the "scrub" oaks survived intact
and, today, their size belies their age. The grove is now
one of the few original stands indigenous to the area.
A member of the lily family, "camassia quamash"
still grows in the Willamette Valley; it is known for its
beautiful blue spring time blooms. Kalapuya women dug the
camas with forked wooden sticks and then roasted and dried
the root in pit-ovens. This mixture was also pressed into
cakes or loaves for later use as food or as a valuable trade
item.
Bibliography:
Brochure developed by the City of Salem, the Salem Convention
& Visitors Association and all the gardens, nurseries,
and businesses listed here
Printed in 1997. Received by the Salem Public Library, July
1998
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