Absolutely Alicia
Travel

9 Oregon Flower Fields and Gardens Worth Visiting and the Best Time to Visit (Updated for 2023)

If you’re a flower-lover or nature-lover, Spring is the best time to visit Oregon! The scenic landscapes in Oregon are breathtaking and will leave you wanting to come back or go searching for more!

The Oregon flower fields and gardens are hotspots for tourists, travelers, photographers, and locals!

The best time to visit the flower fields and gardens are when the flowers are at peak bloom. It can be hard to predict since peak bloom varies from year to year depending on weather and flower growing conditions. The best way to determine peak bloom is to frequently check the flower farms’ or gardens’ personal websites or social media pages for bloom status updates.

I’ll be sharing with you 9 flower fields and gardens in Oregon that are worth checking out and the best time to visit!

Note: The bloom predictions listed below are based on estimated dates posted by these flower farms and gardens and are based on my past visits!

1. Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees at the Japanese American Historical Plaza/Tom McCall Waterfront Park

For me, the Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees always mark the start of Spring because it’s one of the first flowers to bloom in Oregon! There’s actually history behind these 100 akebono trees! The trees were donated in 1990 by the Japanese Grain Importers Association and are situated at the Japanese American Historical Plaza. The Japanese American Historical Plaza was created as a memorial for the 120,000 men, women and children, who were held in internment against their will during World War II.

During the Springtime, especially at peak bloom, this place can get pretty crowded! If you want to avoid the crowds, I recommend going on weekdays and/or early mornings.

Be aware that the flowers only stay bloomed for about a week! If it also happens to rain during peak bloom, this might shorten the blooming period even more.

  • Location: Downtown Portland
  • Peak Bloom: Mid March to Late March
  • Admission: Free
  • Parking Fee: Must pay to park
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: EmbraceSomeplace.com

2. Tulips at The Woodenshoe Tulip Farm

This beautiful tulip farm is one of the top Spring attractions in the state of Oregon. The Woodenshoe Tulip Farm is one of the most well-known flower fields here in Oregon with 40 acres of tulips and over 200 acres of outdoor space and activities.

This tulip field has lots of cute photo spots! Make sure to look out for the oversized shoes, big tractors, cute little benches and their windmill!

This farm is also very family friendly and there’s lots of activities available! The Woodenshoe Tulip Farm offers outdoor play areas and activities for kids, hot air balloon rides, a gift shop, on-site food vendors and more!

Pre-picked tulips are available for purchase at their gift shop (note: they don’t offer u-pick services).

Weekends are usually pretty busy so if you want to beat the crowds, I recommend going on the weekdays or early morning!

Be aware that tickets must be purchased online in advance. They don’t sell tickets at the entrance anymore. Ticket costs will vary depending on which one you get.

  • Location: Woodburn, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Mid April
  • Admission: $15-$55 (tickets must be purchased online in advance!)
  • Parking: Free
  • U-Pick: Not Available but pre-picked flowers are available for purchase
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: Woodenshoe Tulip Farm Field Report

3. Wildflowers at Rowena’s Crest Viewpoint

Rowena’s Crest is well known for it’s beautiful view of the Columbia River Gorge and the famous horseshoe-shaped road! However, one of the things you can’t miss at Rowena’s Crest are the yellow and purple wildflowers. They’re EVERYWHERE during Spring!

Thankfully it’s not a very busy spot so you don’t have to worry about crowds. There are also hiking trails nearby if you want to explore the area further.

Be aware that it can be pretty windy at Rowena’s Crest so dress accordingly as it could get chilly!

  • Location: Mosier, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Late April to Early May
  • Admission: Free
  • Parking: Free

4. Peonies at the Adelman Peony Gardens

Peonies are my favorite flowers so this is one of the flower gardens I look forward to the most! This peony garden grows about 25 acres of peonies and has lots of cute photo spots all throughout the garden including the flower fields, the popular peony truck and their intimate flower garden located at the entrance of the farm.

If you’re wanting to bring some peonies home, you can purchase pre-picked peonies at their flower stand!

5. Irises at Shreiners’ Iris Garden

Shreiners’ Iris Garden makes it look like you just entered a fairytale book! This place is so picturesque and the garden itself is actually bigger than it seems.

This garden is very private and intimate and they make for great photos! It does get busy depending on when you go. So, as I mentioned earlier, it’s best to avoid crowds by going on weekdays or early mornings.

Don’t forget to grab some irises before you leave! You get the option to purchase flowers online and pick them out in person or you could purchase them on the day of your visit.

  • Location: Salem, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Early May to Late May
  • Admission: $5/person (Tickets must be purchased online in advance)
  • Parking: Free
  • U-Pick: Not Available but pre-picked flowers are available for purchase
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: ShreinersGardens.com

6. Roses at the International Rose Test Garden

Photos by Alpine Weddings

The Portland Rose Garden is known as the longest-running rose test garden in the U.S. with over 10,000 rose bushes. The main purpose of the rose test garden was to serve as a safe haven during World War I for hybrid roses grown in Europe because rose-lovers were worried that they’d get destroyed in the bombings. Because many Portlanders were in love with Roses during this time period, Portland was labeled the “City of Roses”.

This garden is a hot spot for tourists and locals alike. It’s popular year-round especially during Spring and Summer when the roses are close to or at peak bloom.

Photos by Alpine Weddings

Because the garden is located in Washington Park and across from the Portland Japanese Garden, this area tends to be pretty busy so be aware that parking might be limited.

Please be aware that you cannot pick flowers from the garden and there are no pre-picked roses available for purchase. If you do happen to get hungry, they have a small food cart/stand where you can purchase snacks, drinks and small meals.

  • Location: Portland, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Mid June to Late June
  • Admission: Free
  • Parking: $
  • U-Pick: Not Available
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: Portland Rose Garden (Instagram)

7. Lavenders at the Lavender Valley Farm (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

I’ve been to a few lavender farms in the past but this one really had me mesmerized. Lavender Valley Farms is probably one of the only lavender farms that I’ve been to that have the closest and most breathtaking view of Mt. Hood! They also have a wide variety of lavenders to view and pick.

Whenever I visit a flower farm or garden that offers pre-picked or u-pick flowers, I always grab myself a bundle! Unfortunately, my husband and I visited the lavender farm a little too early in the season, so they weren’t offering u-pick yet.

While we were there, we learned that they use their lavenders to create their own lavender-scented products! You can find them at the gift shop located at the entrance of the farm.

Be aware that there is no shade here! So make sure to wear sunscreen, bring water and bring something to keep you shaded because it was scorching hot the day that we went!

8. Sunflowers at the West Union Garden

West Union Garden has such a gorgeous view of the whole sunflower field when you reach the top of the hill! Besides the sunflower field, they also offer u-pick for their fruits and veggies and they have a smaller flower garden near the sunflower field. Overall, this farm is pretty small and there isn’t much you can do but it makes for great photos and is still worth the visit!

  • Location: Hillsboro, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Mid August
  • Admission: TBD
  • Parking: Free
  • U-Pick: Available
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: WestUnionGardens.com

9. Dahlias at the Swan Island Dahlia Farm

The Swan Island Dahlia Farm is known as the largest and leading dahlia grower in the U.S. growing over 370 varieties of dahlias on almost 40 acres of land! My husband and I were amazed at the amount of dahlias we saw while we were on the road leading to the farm. To me, it was like flower heaven!

There’s quite a lot of things to do at the dahlia farm (not as much as the tulip farm but still a decent amount of activities). Aside from the flower field, they have a small flower garden, a flower stand where you can purchase pre-picked dahlias (fyi: they don’t offer u-pick services), a gift shop and on-site food.

  • Location: Canby, OR
  • Peak Bloom: Mid September
  • Admission: Free
  • Parking: Free
  • U-Pick: Not Available but Pre-Picked flowers are available for purchase
  • Where to Check for Peak Bloom Updates: Dahlias.com

Thanks for taking the time to read! If you found this blog post helpful or inspiring, feel free to pin it so you can look back at it at any time!

Much love,

Alicia ♡

1 Comment

Fashion Inspiration