Elk Rock Garden - Portland, Oregon

06/13/2026

Join us for our first annual Tea in the Garden fundraiser at Elk Rock Garden on Saturday, June 27 at 2pm.

Launch your summer season with an afternoon of elegance, purpose and generosity!

Dress the part: seersucker, fancy hats and floral attire are strongly encouraged.

A limited number of tickets are still available for $250 each. Reserve yours here: https://givebutter.com/tea-in-the-garden-fundraiser-o4kf60

Elk Rock Garden is a private, nonprofit garden that has been free and open to the public since 1959. Your ticket purchase and attendance at this event directly support our mission to conserve, restore and enhance this historic property as a community resource and a nationally-recognized center for nature-based learning and climate resilience.

* This botanical drawing dates to the early 1900s. According to archival photos, forget-me-nots were growing in abundance at Elk Rock Garden around the same time period.

The Pacific Northwest is home to two native varieties of forget-me-nots: Myosotis laxa (a wetland variety) and Myosotis Alpestris (a subalpine variety.) Both have bloomed in this region for centuries.

Join us for an afternoon of elegance, purpose and generosity. Together we can make a difference!

05/23/2026

Snails have slowly moved into downtown Milwaukie. They’re tucked beneath benches, clinging to street poles and hiding near crosswalks.

The small metal sculptures — made from bent railroad spikes, bolts and screws — form an interactive treasure hunt. Find enough of them, and you can unlock a code to a hidden safe to claim a prize.

It’s called Snail Hunt, created by a Milwaukie man who goes by the moniker “Banksie,” with the letters i and e to honor his hometown.

Read more at https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2026/05/a-guerrilla-artist-hid-15-snails-across-milwaukie-finding-them-unlocks-a-secret-prize.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=app.dashsocial.com%2Ftheoregonian%2Flibrary%2Fmedia%2F675508256

05/22/2026

What a happy surprise to be included alongside such beautiful fellow historic gardens! https://savingplaces.org/stories/from-our-readers-favorite-gardens

If you had a perfect spring afternoon to spend among the flowers, which historic gardens would you visit?

05/22/2026

05/11/2026

For six decades, the Elk Rock Garden property was home to the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon. During that time, the garden was known as Elk Rock Garden of the Bishop's Close. However, that chapter has come to a CLOSE. (Pun intended 😄). Because we no longer have a bishop here, we're now simply known as Elk Rock Garden. We're still free and open to the public, as we have been since 1959, but these days our historic manor house is home to a wonderful community of mission-aligned nonprofits: Willamette Riverkeeper, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, the ISLE Project, and our own 501c3 nonprofit organization which is dedicated to restoring and maintaining this beloved garden as a community resource. https://elkrockgarden.org/

05/11/2026

On Saturday, May 9, Elk Rock Garden hosted its first-ever Three Garden Tour, giving ticketholders a rare opportunity to explore three historic Kerr Family Gardens: Elk Rock Garden (the beloved home and garden of Peter Kerr) and the homes and gardens of his two daughters, Jane (Kerr) Platt and Ann (Kerr) McDonald.

The weather was perfect; our hosts, visitors, and volunteers were wonderful; and the energy was absolutely magical! Together we raised $7,500 for the care and maintenance of Elk Rock Garden. Thank you to all who made this possible!

We're already dreaming about future offerings. Tell us in the comments: what kind of tour would you love to attend next?
🌷Another Three Garden Tour?
✨ A manor house tour?
🌿 Horticultural deep-dives?
📜 History-focused garden tours?
🔭 A look at our future plans?
🏛️ Historic preservation tours?
Drop your vote below — we can't wait to do this again!

05/01/2026

🌿 Join the Olmsted Network for a FREE webinar on the history and future of Elk Rock Garden!

Public historian Eileen Fitzsimons will trace the garden's origins and its ties to Peter Kerr, while Elk Rock Garden executive Director Stephanie Brown will share how the garden is being stewarded today, from innovative partnerships and preservation efforts to exciting plans ahead.

📅 July 21, 2026
⏰ 5pm ET | 2pm PT
The webinar is FREE to attend — register today!

This webinar will explore the rich history and evolving future of Elk Rock Garden. Public historian Eileen Fitzsimons will trace the origins and significance of the garden, including its ties to Peter Kerr and its place in Oregon’s cultural landscape. Executive Director Stephanie Brown will then s...

04/28/2026

The wisteria is blooming at Elk Rock Garden!💜

One of spring’s most beloved moments has arrived right on schedule! Behind the scenes, we’ve recently built a new metal arbor to support the weight of this incredible cascading canopy and we've repaired a small portion of the historic stone wall that frames this magical space. But there’s much more work to do to ensure that visitors can continue to enjoy this special place for years to come.

Come visit, and if you’re able, please consider supporting our work. We are open weekdays, 8am–5pm.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/qyvAou

04/16/2026

Spotted at Elk Rock Garden earlier this afternoon: one gorgeous rainbow and one fairly unimpressed Canada goose. 😊

02/11/2026

Thank you to the Olmsted Network for visiting Elk Rock Garden this week!