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Chickadee Gardens

Gardening on two acres in northwest Oregon with an emphasis on native plants and sustainability

Press and Services and Products

Services & Products
November 2021 Better Homes & Gardens Article
HPSO Article: Working for Joy Creek Nursery
Pacific Horticultre Article: Creating Place: Outdoor Sculptures of Michi Kosuge
Garden Design Article
Winterbloom Landscaping Visits Chickadee Gardens

Posts

Showing posts from 2016

Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 29, 2016

2016: A Year in Review

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 21, 2016

Winter

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 15, 2016

Let's Go! The Oregon Coast

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 08, 2016

Frosty Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 01, 2016

A November Hike

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 24, 2016

Around the Garden in November

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 17, 2016

Let's Go! Mexico City

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 10, 2016

Means Nursery and Autumn Miscellany

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 04, 2016

Fall Color

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 27, 2016

Nursery Visit: Scappoose Bay Watershed Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 20, 2016

Reclaiming the East Fields

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 13, 2016

Bella Madrona: A Bit of Sunshine

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 06, 2016

Finding Land: One Year Later

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 29, 2016

Wrapping Up September

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 22, 2016

Making a New Garden: The Evolution of a Fire Pit

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 15, 2016

At Joy Creek Nursery: September Seeds and Fruits

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 08, 2016

Portland Garden Tour West 2016

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 01, 2016

Project Updates and Miscellany for August

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 25, 2016

Playing with Rocks

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 18, 2016

The Shade Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 11, 2016

Birds at Chickadee Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 04, 2016

Around the Farm in August

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 28, 2016

Building our Garden: Lessons Learned

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 22, 2016

Plant Shopping at Xera

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 14, 2016

The Mega Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 07, 2016

Summer Flowers

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 30, 2016

Our First Summer at Blue Jay Lane

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 16, 2016

Tractors, Turf and Twigs: Farm Updates

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 09, 2016

Joy Creek Nursery: The Place I Work

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 02, 2016

Connecting the Dots

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 26, 2016

The Garden in May

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 19, 2016

My Husband Went to Australia and All I Got Were Plant Photos

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 12, 2016

A Native Plant Walkabout

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 05, 2016

Nursery Visit: Molbak's Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 28, 2016

April Showers and Some Flowers

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 21, 2016

Native Plant Appreciation Week

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 14, 2016

A Field of Camas

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 07, 2016

A Few Small Before and Afters

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 31, 2016

Nursery Visit: Little Prince of Oregon

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 17, 2016

Seattle Visit: Ravenna Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 10, 2016

Before and After: The Gravel Garden Emerges

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 03, 2016

Nursery Visit: Sky Nursery Seattle

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 25, 2016

Northwest Flower & Garden Show: Display Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 18, 2016

Before and After: Rock Wall

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 11, 2016

Before and After: A Garden Emerges

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 04, 2016

Nursery Visit: Bosky Dell Natives

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens January 28, 2016

Making A New Garden: History and Soil

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Newer Posts Older Posts Home

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All material ©2013 - 2023 by Tamara Paulat Chickadee Gardens. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

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about Chickadee Gardens

Chickadee Gardens started as a small, green oasis in the urban center of Portland, Oregon, zone 8b. Now in Saint Helens, some 35 miles northwest of Portland, we garden on two acres. Our focus is native plantings but we also love (non-invasive) ornamentals, we grow a lot of our own food and raise some spunky chickens. Sustainable gardening is our goal. Changes occur regularly in the design of the garden but the focus remains: this garden is for the chickadees (and bees, and bugs, and husband, and cats, and...)

As I worked for Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, Oregon for six years, I had access to an amazing array of plant materials. Needless to say, I add a lot of plants and frequently change things up. Come along with us on our garden and farm journey, everyone is welcome!

--------------------------------------------Bio: Transforming two acres of clay-flecked dirt, grass, sand, rocks and blackberries into a thriving, diverse ecosystem within five years has been a labor of love for Tamara Paulat. So much so that the south-facing, northwest Oregon property was featured in the November 2021 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Tamara’s garden is bordered on three sides by Douglas fir trees and mixed hedgerows. Between these boundaries is a dry, sun-loving garden-scape focused on West Coast-native plants. Some ½-acre is a vegetable garden and fruit orchard with 25 trees. There are chickens, one turkey and honeybees and mason bees loving their home. Tamara and her husband David grow, harvest, and process a wide variety of foods for friends and family to enjoy.

Gardening has always held Tamara’s interest. After creating her mother’s residential garden in 2000, Tamara started gardening on a 50’ x 100’ plot in Portland. The Backyard Habitat Certification Program caught her attention, and her gardens eventually gained platinum status. In 2014, the small garden was a featured stop on the Garden Blogger’s Fling annual tour in Portland. About the same time, Tamara began blogging at www.chickadeegardens.com. A year later, wishing to expand and challenge themselves, Tamara and David purchased a house and property in Saint Helens, Oregon. Tamara studied art history at Portland State University and worked in the art industry for more than a dozen years before shifting to the plant-nursery business. Tamara worked for many years at Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, up until it closed its gates in late 2021. She is currently working part time for Cistus Nursery.

Tamara is a member of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, and has written for that group’s magazine as well as for Pacific Horticulture. She graduated from the Oregon State University’s Master Gardeners program in Multnomah County in 2013 and is on the selection committee for Great Plant Picks.

contact Tamara at chickadeegardenspdx@gmail.com

Blog archive at Chickadee Gardens

2023 14
- May 2
- April 3
- March 3
- February 3
- January 3

2022 32
- December 3
- November 2
- October 3
- September 2
- August 2
- July 3
- June 3
- May 3
- April 3
- March 4
- February 2
- January 2
2021 33
- December 3
- November 2
- October 3
- September 3
- August 3
- July 4
- June 3
- May 2
- April 3
- March 2
- February 3
- January 2
2020 31
- December 3
- November 2
- October 3
- September 2
- August 2
- July 3
- June 2
- May 2
- April 3
- March 2
- February 3
- January 4
2019 41
- December 2
- November 3
- October 4
- September 4
- August 3
- July 3
- June 4
- May 4
- April 4
- March 3
- February 3
- January 4
2018 46
- December 4
- November 5
- October 4
- September 3
- August 4
- July 4
- June 4
- May 5
- April 4
- March 3
- February 4
- January 2
2017 43
- December 3
- November 5
- October 3
- September 3
- August 4
- July 3
- June 4
- May 3
- April 4
- March 4
- February 4
- January 3
2016 50
2015 50
- December 3
- November 3
- October 5
- September 5
- August 4
- July 5
- June 3
- May 4
- April 5
- March 4
- February 4
- January 5
2014 53
- December 4
- November 4
- October 5
- September 4
- August 4
- July 5
- June 4
- May 5
- April 4
- March 4
- February 4
- January 6
2013 18

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Visit Tamara's profile on Pinterest.

November 2021 Better Homes & Gardens Article

HPSO Article - Hotter, Drier, Wetter: Preparing for Extremes

Services & Products

HPSO Article: Working for Joy Creek Nursery

Pacific Horticultre Article: Creating Place: Outdoor Sculptures of Michi Kosuge

Winterbloom Visits Chickadee Gardens

blogs I read

Digging
danger garden
Late to the Garden Party
Gods and Foolish Grandeur
A Way to Garden
Garden Rant
Dirt Therapy
Flutter & Hum
A Growing Obsession
Natural Gardening
MulchMaid
GardenRiots
Alternative Eden
The Lents Farmer
The World's Best Gardening Blog
Fernhaven
The Practical Plant Geek
Whatsitgarden
The Rainy Day Garden
Gardening With Grace
sprig to twig

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links!

Backyard Habitat Certification Program
Bosky Dell Native Plant Nursery for Willamette Valley
Chickadee Gardens Facebook Page
Cistus Nursery
City of Portland Ecoroof Handbook PDF
Cornell Project Feederwatch
E-Garden-Go
Echo Valley Natives Plant Nursery
Great Plant Picks
Hardy Fern Foundation
Hardy Plant Society of Oregon
How to start milkweed from seed
Humble Roots Native Plant Nursery
Joy Creek Nursery (where I work)
Metro Master Gardeners
My Guest Blog at Gardening Know How
Native Bee Research
Native Plant Society of Oregon
Native Plants List and Photos for the Willamette Valley from Portland Metro
Plant Lust - Great Search Engine for Plants
Portland Ecoroof Program
Soil Survey from the USDA
Xera Plants
Xerces Society - Bees!

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contact

chickadeegardenspdx@gmail.com

All images and content © copyright 2023 Tamara Paulat, Chickadee Gardens

labels

Anna's hummingbird9
Arctostaphylos13
Art in the Garden11
Asclepias13
Audubon Portland7
Autumn color32
Backyard Habitat Certification Program13
before and after51
Bird Creek Meadows4
birds18

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