WHEN TO SEE THE SALEM AREA’S GORGEOUS GARDENS

Lemon-yellow peonies, fragrant fawn lilies and native trillium — oh, my! April is National Garden Month and the Salem region is home to almost 20 public display and botanical gardens bursting with a dizzying array of flowers in all colors, shapes and scents. Some gardens even offer wine tastings, kid’s events and hot-air balloon rides. If you’re visiting later in summer — or in fall and winter — you can still catch plenty of perennial Pacific Northwest blooms. Here’s a roundup of local gardens that will inspire your senses, in order of their blooms’ appearances.

4/9/26

Arrowhead Lavender Farm

april

wooden shoe tulip festival

Each spring, the family-owned Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn celebrates a mind-boggling array of colorful tulips blooming across 40 acres of fields. It’s tulips as far as your eye can see — plus ice cream and food vendors, local beer, shopping, a kid’s play area and hot-air balloon rides. Buy a sunrise admission ticket and catch the first rays as they glow up the fields — it’s mesmerizing.

APRIL AND MAY

RHODIES AND AZALEAS AT CECIL AND MOLLY SMITH GARDEN

North of Salem, this enchanting three-acre spring garden is tucked away in a mossy woodland setting and has over 600 rhododendrons and azaleas in a wonder-filled array of sizes and colors. Wander along serene pathways riddled with narcissus, erythronium and trillium and visit the shady fern garden. It’s easy to find a quiet spot; open on weekends.

APRIL THROUGH SUMMER

NATIVE LILIES AT DEEPWOOD GARDENS AND GAIETY HALLOW

Located in Salem, Deepwood Gardens was designed by Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver, the first women landscape architects in the Pacific Northwest. Take a peak-spring stroll around the formal gardens, admiring native yellow fawn lilies and red flowering currants. Or tour the architects’ personal gardens at nearby Gaiety Hallow. Tulips and forget-me-nots take center stage in spring, which were favorites of Elizabeth Lord.

LATE APRIL TO MID-JUNE

PEONY PARADISE

Peony fans flock to the Salem area every spring to visit three peony gardens that are lush with this romantic flower. Visit Brooks Gardens, located just north of Salem, and get lost in award-winning canary brilliants and dreamy chiffon clouds. Nearby Adelman Peony Gardens has been awarded Best of Show 11 times over the past two decades by the American Peony Society and grows over 500 named peonies. For a small-farm experience, pick your own bouquet at These Roots Peony Farm in Gervais — or buy a fresh-cut bunch at the stand.

MAY

IRISES AND WINE AT SCHREINER’S GARDENS

Celebrating 100 years in 2025, family-owned Schreiner’s Gardens hosts an annual Bloom Season Event with over 500 variations of pink, purple and yellow iris, along with other perennials such as lupine, allium and delphinium. Stroll through the 10-acre display gardens, and if you’re visiting on a weekend, sample the food trucks and wine tastings. Catch an Artist Fair or a Golden Hour Event, taking snaps of the fields as the sun sets over them. Or pack snacks for an unforgettable family picnic.

JUNE AND JULY

FIELDS OF FRAGRANT LAVENDER

Attention lavender lovers: Arrowhead Lavender Farm & Co. celebrates these blissful violet blooms in all their incarnations. Lavender kickoff week usually begins late June, when you can wander the fields, pick your own bouquet, and indulge in lavender lemonade, ice cream and other treats. Hit up the farm store for handcrafted lavender bath salts, tallow body creams and essential oils, and check the website for special events, such as lavender wreath-making classes.

AUGUST THROUGH EARLY OCTOBER

DAHLIAS GALORE

With 220 varieties of colorful dahlias growing on almost three acres just 30 minutes south of Salem, family-owned Frey’s Dahlias is one of the largest dahlia gardens in Oregon and a must-stop for admirers, cut flowers and potted live plants. The field is open for self-guided wanderings starting late summer — make an afternoon of it.

YEAR-ROUND

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BLOOMS AT OREGON GARDEN

No matter which month you visit, the 130-acre Oregon Garden in Silverton features more than 20 specialty gardens showcasing the botanical bounty of the Willamette Valley, including a children’s garden and a pet-friendly garden. Catch tulips and rhodies in spring, fuchsia in summer, toad lilies in fall, and winter jasmine during the holiday season. ADA-friendly paths make exploring easy.

YEAR-ROUND

NATIVE PLANTS AT DELBERT HUNTER ARBORETUM

Slow down and immerse yourself in glorious, wild nature. The eight-acre Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Dallas has native wildflowers, perennials, conifers, wetland species and succulents, and the gently flowing Rickreall Creek creates a rich riparian biome for ferns, lilies, poppies and lupine. There are also flat trails and benches to sit and soak up the beauty all year long.

Our fertile region has so many public gardens, blooms and events to enjoy, why not book a multi-day trip and experience them at a leisurely pace? The Salem area has several lodging options, from cozy bed and breakfasts to charming resorts and modern downtown hotels.

Start planning your itinerary today.

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