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In the Gardens

Areas of Chelan and Douglas counties along the Columbia River, east of the Cascade Mountains, have arid conditions that create special challenges to gardeners. This region receives less than 10 inches of rainfall each year.
Homeowners who wish to observe how plant varieties respond to these conditions can view and evaluate them in public gardens in the Wenatchee Valley area and Leavenworth, WA.

WSU Master Gardeners Community Education Garden- Wenatchee, WA

The WSU Master Gardeners began developing this Community Education Garden in 2010.

The garden is located at 1100 North Western Avenue in Wenatchee. It is an outdoor learning environment for demonstrating and teaching sustainable gardening practices.

You can usually find Master Gardeners working here Friday mornings during the gardening season. Stop by to talk to us.

Read more about this garden.

Riverfront Park- Wenatchee, WA

WSU Master Gardeners designed, planted and now maintain a xeriscape demonstration garden in partnership with the Chelan County PUD at Riverfront Park in Wenatchee. We are here spring to fall on Wednesday mornings. Stop by to talk to us.
The garden can be accessed by parking at the Fifth Street Ice Rink parking lot and walking south along the Apple Capital Loop Trail. Located between the path and the Columbia River and near the Nile Saunders Miniature Steam Train station, this display includes over 40 different varieties of low-water-use plants.

Visit the Chelan PUD Xeriscape website to learn details about the garden.

Bridge of Friendship Japanese Garden- East Wenatchee, WA

This pocket-sized garden at 9th Street at Eastmont Avenue offers a shady spot and honors the City of East Wenatchee’s relationship to it’s city sister in Japan. It is part of the city’s park system. It demonstrates how plants respond to shade in this climate, and elements of a Japanese style garden.

The Master Gardeners maintain this garden. You can usually find us working here Thursday mornings around  10:30 during the gardening season. Stop by to talk to us.

 

Leavenworth Fish Hatchery Pollinator Garden- Leavenworth, WA

WSU Master Gardeners maintain this garden,  a pollinator and monarch butterfly habitat designed for student and public education.

The  garden is in front of the main hatchery building at 12790 Fish Hatchery Road in Leavenworth, WA.

Learn about this garden, which includes a list of its pollinator-friendly plants.

You can usually find Master Gardeners working here Tuesday mornings during the gardening season. Stop by to talk to us about the important role of pollinators and how to give them a safe haven in your garden.

 

Fire-Resistant Demonstration Garden- East Wenatchee, WA

WSU Master Gardeners designed and Douglas County Fire District #2 maintains a fire-resistant garden next to the fire station on Eastmont Avenue at 4th Street, East Wenatchee, WA. It imagines the back yard of a city lot, applying design standards for an urban fire-resistant landscape. Read more about fire-resistant landscapes.

Douglas PUD- East Wenatchee, WA

In 2004, the Douglas Public Utility District planted landscaping showcasing low water use plants at the entrance to the PUD headquarters at 1151 Valley Mall Parkway, at the north end of Parkway, just off Sunset Highway in East Wenatchee, WA.   WSU Master Gardeners assisted in the garden design and plant selection.

Rocky Reach Dam Arboretum

The arboretum includes 40 species of trees in the park of the Chelan County PUD dam located seven miles north of Wenatchee and on the west shore of the Columbia River. The extra value of this arboretum at the Rocky Reach Dam is viewing mature specimens of these tree species. The website includes a brochure that lists the trees and a walking guide.

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Headquarters- Wenatchee, WA

This garden displays how to use native plants in an urban landscape. Designed in 2009 by the Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society, the garden is at the entrance to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Headquarters  at 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, WA.

Read about this resource at Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society