Top 10 places to photograph flowers in the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is full of special places to photograph fields of flowers. Here’s a quick list of some of our favorite places.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm located in Woodburn, Oregon. They have 4 fields that they rotate every year. They plan 3 of the 4 fields each year. Forty acres of tulips are planted of every variety imaginable. It’s truly a carpet of color. The season last quite a while because they plant early, mid, and late blooming varieties. The fields usually begin blooming mid to late March.
Columbia Gorge has several great places to photograph wildflowers with either the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, or both in the background. My favorite flower to photograph are the bright yellow balsamroot. Our favorite hike to take to photograph these beauties is an un-named trail the begins across the street from the Memaloose Overlook parking lot. We start this hike about an hour before sunrise so we get that beautiful golden light with the Columbia River and the gorge in the background. There is also a pretty spectacular view of Mt. Hood. Another favorite spot is across the river in Washington in Dalles Mountain Ranch. There are spectacular views of Mt. Hood and the gorge from here. The flowers are easily seen from the road so if you aren’t a hiker you might try this location. These flowers typically bloom late March or early April. The lupine and other flowers come on a bit later.
Swan Island Dahlia Farm is in Canby, Oregon. There are 40 acres of gorgeous dahlias and several showcase gardens as well. The dahlias begin blooming in August and are very showy by Labor Day weekend.
The Schreiner’s Iris Gardens in Keizer, Oregon has beautiful showcase flowerbeds that are not limited to iris’. They are at their peak in the early to mid-spring.
Adelman Peony Gardens in Salem, Oregon. They have beautiful beds full of spring flowers. They sale potted peony’s. The peak season is early to mid-spring.
Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. These gardens have lovely blooms and foliage especially in the spring and fall. The gardens are mostly trees and shrubs.
International Rose Test Garden - often referred to as the Portland Rose Gardens in Portland, Oregon. The name says it all. There are over 10,000 rose bushes of around 650 varieties in the garden. The view of the city is pretty spectacular from the gardens too.
Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon is 80 acres of immaculate flower beds. There is a good mix of trees, shrubs, and flowers in 23 themed gardens.
Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, Washington. These are Victorian era gardens many of which were planted in the late 1880s. There are many varieties of flowers, not just lilacs. Lilac plants are sold during the festival.
Silverfalls Seed Company around Silverton, Oregon. This company has many fields where wildflowers are grown for their seeds. Most of the fields are located east of Silverton in Evans Valley. The peak blooms are in July and August. They have a facebook page where the fields that are in bloom are posted. They do ask that no one enter the fields. They don’t mind photos being taken from the road.