Discover Oregon’s nursery industry. Large wholesale, specialty and retail nurseries abound in Oregon, most within a 90 minute drive of Portland.
Wholesale Nursery Visits
Anticipating the arrival of GWA members, several wholesale nurseries are opening their doors to encourage visits by the nation’s garden communicators. This is a unique opportunity for you to see how the plants and Christmas trees that are shipped all over the country are grown. Please call ahead and let them know when you plan to visit. Request a map of wholesale nurseries to help you get around easily by calling the Oregon Association of Nurseries (800.342.6401) and/or contact Ann Murphy (amurphy@oan.org) to help arrange for nursery visits.
- Carlton Plants LLC (www.carltonplants.com), growers of bare root shade, flowering and deciduous trees, deciduous shrubs, root stocks and seedlings). Contact Keli at 800-398-8733 or kwright@carltonplants.com.
- Dieringer Nursery Company (www.dieringernursery.com), growing 300 varieties of rhododendrons). Contact Jeff Dieringer at 503.981.6746 or jeff@dieringernursery.com.
- Fisher Farms LLC (www.fisherfarms.com), growing a broad mix of plants for independent garden centers, including branded lines for Novalis, Encore Azaleas, and Biltmore Estates). Contact Jerry Brown at 503.985.7561 or jerry@fisherfarms.com.
- J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. (www.jfschmidt.com), one of the country’s largest growers of bare root and containerized deciduous shade and flowering trees and shrubs). Contact Nancy Buley at 503.663.4128 or nancyb@jfshcmidt.com.
- Oregon Small Trees (www.oregonsmalltrees.com), a small nursery specializing in dwarf and unusual smaller conifers and Japanese maples). Contact Dave Leckey at 503.625.9467 or leckeyd@gervais.com.
- Yule Tree Farms (www.yuletreefarms.com), experience one of the country’s largest Christmas tree growers utilizing sustainable practices to preserve soil and water quality). Contact Tom McNabb at 503.678.2101 or mcnabb@yuletreefarm.com.
Specialty and Retail Nursery Visits
Le Tour des Plants™, a gardener’s excursion, is unique in the US, takes place Sept. 13-21, just in time for your visit to Oregon! A free, self-guided tour of more than 40 Oregon and Southwest Washington garden centers and specialty nurseries, Le Tour des Plants offers visitors display garden, activities, workshops to inspire, new plants to delight and special savings your wallet will love! Fall is a great time to plant in the Northwest and this is a time to celebrate this great season.
The nursery industry supports Le Tour des Plants as a way to inspire novice and experienced gardeners and to build fall sales. Visiting Le Tour des Plants nurseries is a fun way to see the city and countryside. Visit www.LeTourDesPlants.com or request a Le Tour des Plants magazine (available the week of Aug. 11) by calling or emailing the Oregon Association of Nurseries at 800.342.6401 or info@oan.org. Or contact Ann Murphy (amurphy@oan.org) and she can recommend nurseries to visit based on your particular interests.
Other Places to Visit
Located only one hour from Portland in the heart of the Willamette Valley, The Oregon Garden and Oregon Garden Resort welcome GWA members. Call the Oregon Garden Resort to learn about their special overnight package for GWA members, including a private tour of the Oregon Garden. (www.oregongarden.org).
60th Annual Meeting