“Best-Kept” Rogue Valley Secret:
The Demonstration Gardens on Hanley Road

Children's Garden

Need some fresh inspiration for your home garden? How about some practical local solutions? What would the experts do?

A visit to the demonstration gardens on the grounds of the OSU Extension Service can be more enjoyable – and more inspirational – than looking at row after row of plants in containers at a retail nursery or garden center.

Better yet, a stroll around the garden paths at the demonstration gardens is more helpful than flipping through national garden magazines because everything you see here will thrive beautifully in our unique Southern Oregon climate.

The demonstration gardens are a valuable local resource, where residents of Jackson County can see organic methods and sustainable garden designs put into practice.

As you explore more than 20 different demonstration gardens, you’ll discover:

• Specific names and varieties for plants you may want to try at home.

Kitchen Garden

• Ideas and inspirations for how to design your own garden and transform your yard into a welcoming outdoor room.

• New techniques and ways to think about gardening that will help make your home garden easier and more sustainable.

The demonstration gardens are designed and planted by certified Master Gardeners, and are maintained by apprentices seeking certification as Master Gardeners.

“We’re one of the Rogue Valley’s best-kept secrets,” says Ron Bombick, leader of the garden’s apprenticeship program. “I hope we can encourage more people to visit our gardens and appreciate the beauty that is there.”

Free, self-guided tours are available at more than 20 themed gardens on the grounds of the OSU Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point.

Call 541-776-7371 for garden hours and more information.

To become a Master Gardener yourself, visit our website:  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/

 What to see …

Here are a few of the gardens you can explore:

Native Plants Garden

It just makes sense to grow the plants that thrive here on their own. This garden shows how to enjoy maximum variety and beauty, with the least amount of care.

Water-Wise Garden

What to plant when water grows scarce? You’ll find plenty of living, blooming candidates in this garden – specially designed with conservation in mind.

 Lavender Garden

This formal showplace features more than 100 varieties, and demonstrates how well suited these Mediterranean natives are for Rogue Valley gardens.

Daylily Garden

How else can you get so much bright, lively, carefree color – year after year – with so little care? This show of brilliant blooms lasts throughout the summer.

Kitchen Gardens

If you eat what you grow (and grow what you eat), this garden is a great way to learn how to increase your yields and decrease the amount of time and effort you spend.

Perennial Garden

Perennial Garden

Everyone loves perennials – especially in a garden that’s expertly designed to show off the ever-changing spectacle of color and form that only perennials can provide.

Rain Garden

Rain gardens help conserve precious water resources and prevent wasteful runoff. Find out how you can harvest the rainwater that falls on your roof – and use it to create a beautiful, seasonal showplace.

Shade Garden

No sun in your yard? No problem. The OSU Shade Garden demonstrates how to choose the right plants – and get beautiful results – even in the shadiest parts of your yard.

Rose Garden

You’ll soon discover that these aristocrats of the garden world are remarkably easy to grow and maintain – and that they absolutely love to grow here in the Rogue Valley.

 Succulent Garden

If you’re thinking of prickly cactus … think again. You’ll be intrigued by the wide variety of colors, blooms and plant forms that will thrive in our hot, dry Southern Oregon summers.

 Culinary Herb Garden

Why buy costly imported herbs and spices when you can easily grow your own? Learn the gourmet chef’s secrets to fresh, savory, delicious cooking.

 Wildflower Garden

Tired of formal beds and borders? The Wildflower garden shows how you can re-create the wonderful spectacle that once flourished in our wilderness, coast-to-coast.

Compost Gardens

If you never considered a compost bin as a garden, you’ve never seen how the Master Gardeners turn all sorts of waste material into useful living soil.