Consider Hiking for gardening inspiration

19 years ago

Anybody else get inspiration from forests, meadows and river areas for planting or design ideas?

I go hiking almost every 2 to 3 weeks. When I head down to the Brookings Harbor Garden Club's garden next week, I'm going to hike in the redwoods again.

There are plenty of natural examples along the trails.

I like the way that trees like vine maple can bend over a stream. That idea can be replicated for a water feature by tilting, bending and pruning a vine maple, birch, or other tree.

Rock and boulders tend to deposit in streams a certain way - that can be copied in a home creekbed.

Anyhow, for some poople, it may not matter.

(But it might get them in better condition for gardening : - )

Eagle Creek has always been a favorite near the Columbia Rive.

Although, I enjoy several. I just hiked up the the Bigfoot trap, a couple of weeks ago. The trail is about 20 minutes down the road in the Rogue River National Forest. It may be my last hike up that trail, since out house in for sale, and we plan to move near Hillsboro. So I took a few last photos for my hiking trail webpage - its on Collings Mountain Trail; if anyone ever is down here and want to see it.

It has a nice stream that offers a few ideas for water feature arrangement - like the intermittent bedrook along the bottom.

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Comments (5)

muddysocks
19 years ago
Funny you should mention this. I am currently looking at streambanks for inspiration for a path. It needs to be a path that can double as a drainage area so I am looking at rock placement in streams. It is really fun.

You bring up a great memory for me. My friends and I hiked up the Bigfoot trap in high school (thirty some years ago). Pretty area - I will be looking for the pictures on your webpage.
silver_creek
19 years ago
I think in some ways our whole garden was inspired by our love of hiking and love of being outdoors. The 2 most direct influence have come from the lowland Northwest plant communities in the restoration of our creek area, and from alpine ridges for our rock garden area.
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mdvaden_of_oregon
Original Author
19 years ago
muddysocks...

in google's search window, type...

mdvaden collings mountain OR mdvaden bigfoot trap

You will see the search result, and the trap is in my southern oregon album too.

A bit to the south, I enjoyed hiking up to Blue Ledge Mine. Rock gardeners would appreciate the upper section of the hill.

And Cook and Green - among the trees, had a lot of interesting rock, boulders, and lichens. There were quite a few nice examples of British Soldiers lichens.
ian_wa
19 years ago
I always learn something about what soils certain plants prefer whenever I go for a hike. I just need to do more hiking in other parts of the world....
starfyre
19 years ago
My 4 kids LOVE to go to the park. But after observing them play there for several weekends in a row and the entire summer I realized it's not the park play structure they dig so much. Its not the huge lake 20 feet away that they crave to come to. Its the twisted, easily climbable, maple trees, the trails, and the sheltered feeling of the park that they love!

So guess what's going into my yard this spring (working on it right now infact)???? A mini woodland park setting. Its only 50 feet long and 35 feet wide. Accessible by two trails that wrap around either end of a large koi pond (my mini "lake" like the park has maybe???)

Inspiration for the entire design came directly from a specific part of the park we visit regularly. Now if there's things going on that prevents us from going for a walk we can run out to the backyard. Or at least we will be able to this summer...