From the coast to the high desert, Oregon is home to an incredible collection of public gardens — places that inspire curiosity, spark creativity, and invite you to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the natural world. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful stroll, a family-friendly afternoon, or ideas for your own home garden, these destinations offer something for everyone.
We do our best to keep each garden’s information up to date, but hours, admission, and events can change — so be sure to check the garden’s website for the most current details before you visit.
Explore the gardens below to plan your next outing, learn more about the plants that thrive in our region, and experience the many ways Oregonians grow, care for, and celebrate the landscape around us.
Located on West Evans Creek Road, this five (5) acre park is also an arboretum, with facilities for group picnics, a playground for small children, and restrooms. The park’s unique features include over 80 species of trees from many remote places in the world, intricate rock work that forms a walkway and wall where running water forms a pond for wildlife, and a year-round walking bridge constructed of cable, which spans Evans Creek connecting it to Anna Classick Bicentennial Park. Palmerton Park is available to reserve for events such as weddings, reunions, birthday parties, and company picnics. The park was donated to the City by the Palmerton Family.
Open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Peavy Arboretum has served as an outdoor teaching lab for generations of children and adults, and is a welcoming place for visitors interested in a picnic by the pond or a long hike in the moutains. Its history is rich, and the land still shows evidence of use by the Kalapuya people, the Oregon State Forest Nursery, and the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Arboretum. Currently, the Arboretum hosts trailheads and walking paths open to the public, the George Brown Logging Sports Arena, and the OSU Research Forests Business Office. Arboretum maintenance is funded entirely by timber harvested on the OSU Research Forests.
The rose garden was the showplace of its time, with 300,000 visitors in the first year alone. The official Portland rose, named Mme. Caroline Testout, was cultivated in the garden. Once planted by the thousands along the streets of Portland, this rose earned Portland the name 'City of Roses.'
Admission $22.50 adult, $18.95 senior, $19.50 student, $18.50 youth (6–17), $16.50 5 and under free. Members free. Hours vary seasonally.
Portland Japanese Garden is nestled in the hills of Portland, Oregon’s iconic Washington Park, overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike.
Open daily from 8 a.m.–dusk. Entrance is free for all visitors. Donation suggested.
The Portland Memory Garden is open to the entire community, but was specifically designed to meet the special needs of those with memory disorders (such as Alzheimer’s disease) and to provide respite for their caregivers. The garden was dedicated in May 2002 and is one of eight memory gardens in the U.S., and one of only two built on public land.
