0 for 2, in Salem

Since I'll be off on plant adventures with friends on Andrew's actual birthday, we celebrated a week early. Part of the celebration activities (food, museum, bookstore, fishing) took us to Salem, Oregon—about an hour south of home.

I'd made a note to visit the Bush Conservatory the next time I was in Salem, that was the first place we stopped. You can just barely see the conservatory building on the right side of this photo...

Here we are!

I'd read somewhere (perhaps here) that this was the first conservatory in the Pacific Northwest, so I was surprised to see it billed as "second" on the nearby signage. But I guess the devil is in the details, "west of the Rockies" is a different designation.

The Oregon Encyclopedia site has this to say: In 1877, Bush began construction of a two-story Italianate house, located on top of a hill with a view of Salem and the Capitol building. Within a year, the house was finished, with a nearby barn and ice house. The conservatory for daughters Sally and Eugenia was built in 1882 on the east side of the house. The structure included a single-stem brick wall topped with glass, heated by a wood stove. It is believed to be the oldest conservatory in the Pacific Northwest. Sally, who was a vegetarian, grew flowers, vegetables, and mushrooms in the conservatory.

Even though the information I found online, and the signage on the conservatory door, both indicated the building would be open when we were there, it was not. 

I was bummed, but not surprised. Places like this seem to always be understaffed (and under appreciated). Damn I would have loved to go in there (photo taken through the glass)...

Of course I walked all the way around the building, stopping to take this wheelbarrow photo at the backside. I love a good shot of the tools gardeners use to do their work.

Andrew commented that they really needed to clean the glass, I shared that the whitewash is used to mellow the harsh summer sun (and is sometimes just left on).  

Peeking in the back of the conservatory I saw a nice big staghorn fern.

More from the Oregon Encyclopedia: The conservatory underwent an extensive renovation in 2010-2011, with funds raised by the Friends of Bush Gardens. Iron pieces and wooden beams were replaced, walls and foundation renovated, and a new boiler installed, all with a careful eye to maintaining the integrity of the structure. The conservatory, which is open to the public, stands near the family home in the park named for the family. 

You can see the family home rising up over the conservatory.

Along the south side there's a sunken planting bed/cold frame. The tops were open during our visit. 

Walking the surrounding garden... Bergenia with no slug damage!

Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' (I believe)

And some seriously chunky furniture!

Natures ornaments in the trees

And over near the house a simple, gorgeous Camellia.

Overall shot.

Later in the day I'd dropped Andrew off at a fishing spot and I was headed to 13th Street Nursery, when I spotted another conservatory at the opposite end of the park...

Actually it was part of the historic Deepwood Estate, which I've always meant to visit.

And it was more of a greenhouse building than a conservatory. What's the difference? Here's one explanation I found online: "Typically, a conservatory is a glass-enclosed living space for people in which plants exist. A greenhouse is a more rugged structure, a place that plants are nurtured and grow and people visit." Also worth noting, this building was much larger than the one we visited earlier.

Guess what, it was also closed (hence the "0 for 2" in the title). I took a couple shots looking inside, through the glass...

From the side...

Since I was there I took quick walk about the grounds.

Erythronium oregonum, our native fawn lily.

Did I mention what a beautiful day it was?

Seeing this vignette I thought "pretty"... 

But then I saw the obnoxious signage.

Alrighty then. I guess they've had some issues.

Walking back to my car (only on the open and obvious pathways!) I spotted more Erythronium.

Pretty fabulous.

Maybe the next time we're in Salem I can actually step inside one of those glass houses.

The Bit at the End

Here's a great garden "before and after" from Gardenista: Before and After: From Yard to Garden, London Edition,

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James Andrew Gould's garden, last September

Here's another garden visit from late last summer that I'm finally writing about. James Andrew Gould is a serious plant geek (in the best possible way), this is the second time I've been to his place and the changes were staggering. Things have grown and filled in and he's been busy with projects. Let's have a look...

Go big or go home, it's not a bad garden philosophy and James seems to be embrace the idea, especially when it comes to Sinopanax formosanus, he has several.

During my visit they were starting to throw up their blooms, ones that confirm they're in the Aralia family.

There were also several Echium, E. pininana...

Same

And Echium wildpretii.

Another view up the front sidewalk, this one a little closer and a little wider.

The Yucca rostrata claims this shot, with a Eucalyptus on the left and a Lyonothamnus floribundus peeking in on the right.

Phlomis ‘Sunningdale Gold’, I believe.

Agave 'Mateo' (with pups! rather unusual).

James has the happiest Grevillea x gaudichaudii I have ever seen.

Insane (and be warned, there is another!)...

Hmmm, what is this? I should know. A myrtle of some sort I think...

Hi spiky beautiful!

A happy restio, in what is a fairly small garden. James is brave gardener.

Damn fine spines.

Sedum confusum, I believe.

I think (gawd I'm stupid when it comes to Eucalyptus) this tree is getting it's mature foliage?

Meanwhile there were fabulous blooms to appreciate at eye-level (from another).

Here's the second off-the-charts amazing Grevillea x gaudichaudii.

And a peek at one of the carnivorous plant bogs.

Berkheya purpurea

Fatsia polycarpa, maybe 'Needham's Lace'

Yucca schottii, I think?

Another Sinopanax formosanus.

Thinner leaves point to this yucca as Y. linearifolia.

Drimys winteri

Wollemia nobilis

Perhaps another Yucca schottii? But the main reason I included this image, is that I failed to get a shot of the almost finished sunken patio area. It was pretty fantastic, but you'll have to be content with a view through the yucca leaves.

Walking back to my car now I had to get a shot of the expired Berkheya purpurea blooms...

And a spiky yucca (maybe Y. aloifolia). So many cool plants!!!

The Bit at the End

Here's a long post over on Garden Rant that I had to read through a couple times to really make sense of: In Defense of The Gardener’s Voice (on the natives or nothing movement). Gardeners like James, and myself, are plant lovers who fill our gardens with things that bring us joy, pique our curiosity, and that we just want to watch grow. Even things that are not native to our part of the world. Does that make us bad gardeners? Some would say so.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.