Acres Of Imagination In Oregon

A hobbit house, a weird plants display and the “pot people” are among the recent additions to the Oregon Garden’s Children’s Garden, which offers its kid visitors plenty of opportunity to laugh, play and enjoy the nature around them.

“Gardens aren’t just to look at,” says Jeff Pera, staff horticulturist at The Oregon Garden. “These days when I hear laughter and screaming coming from the Children’s Garden, I am assured the kids are playing on the new hobbit house.”

The hobbit house, found at the center of the garden, sits atop a submerged tunnel with round door coverings, which allows children to peek in and scuttle through, if they choose. “We are also adorning the tunnel area with plants that are a bit odd in order to enhance the magic of the hobbit theme,” Pera says.

The Oregon Garden began making additions to the children’s garden last fall, when it received a donated piano. From that donation, the Oregon Garden began collecting household furniture to be planted and arranged in a furniture garden. Some pieces currently on display include a pedestal sink, toilet, and potbelly stove.

Another popular feature of Children’s Garden is the evolving weird plants display. People of all ages can appreciate the garden’s unique collection of plant life, which includes a weeping giant sequoia, a golden clematis, unicorn grass and a mouse plant.

The Oregon Garden got creative with the “pot people” attraction, as well. The “pot people” are figures built out of stacked terra cotta pots and then planted with annuals. A tree house built around the truck of a large, curly willow tree is also fun for kids. It’s positioned only 15 inches from ground, yet still provides a secluded retreat with its dense green canopy.

A miniature train garden is in the future plans for the Children’s Garden. It will be installed with the help of local high school seniors.

“This will be a fun way to exhibit a large variety of miniature plants in order to create a scale-size landscape,” Pera says.

For more information on the Oregon Garden’s Children’s Garden, go to www.oregongarden.org.