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Chickadee Gardens

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

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November 2021 Better Homes & Gardens Article
Services & Products
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

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Showing posts from 2017

Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 28, 2017

What the Corn?

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 21, 2017

2017: A Year in Review

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 08, 2017

Seaside Succulents

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 30, 2017

The Woods of Joy Creek Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 23, 2017

The Evergreens: Shade Plants

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 16, 2017

The Evergreens: Sun Lovers

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 09, 2017

Observing November

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 02, 2017

A Few Small Before & Afters

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 26, 2017

Autumn Color

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 19, 2017

Living the Dream: Mindy's 12-Acre Farm

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 05, 2017

Finding Land: Two Years Later

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 28, 2017

Facilities Manager Fall Report

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 21, 2017

The End of Summer at Chickadee Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 07, 2017

Farm Life: Gardening with Chickens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 31, 2017

Let's Go! The Oregon Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 17, 2017

The Sun Lovers

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 10, 2017

The Veggie Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 03, 2017

Mid-Summer at Chickadee Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 27, 2017

Nursery Visit: Xera Plants

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 20, 2017

Let's Go! Mount Saint Helens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 13, 2017

The Shade Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 29, 2017

June Flowers

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 22, 2017

Progression of a Project

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 15, 2017

The Vegetable Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 08, 2017

Bring Out Your Dead! (I'm Not Dead Yet)

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 25, 2017

Here Comes the Sun

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 11, 2017

The May Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 04, 2017

Trees Come Down, Trees Go Up

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 27, 2017

Native Wildflowers of McCormick Park, Saint Helens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 20, 2017

Nursery Visit: Little Prince of Oregon 2017

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 13, 2017

Farm Happenings, April Edition

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 06, 2017

Before and After: Moving Soil, Making Paths

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 30, 2017

Take Five: Five Plants that Perform

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 23, 2017

Farm Updates and the Home Orchard Society

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 09, 2017

Nursery Visit: Gossler Farm Nursery Part II

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 02, 2017

Nursery Visit: Gossler Farms Nursery Part I

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 23, 2017

Honey Bees

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 16, 2017

A Winter Visit to Portland Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 09, 2017

Sowing Seeds of Happiness

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens February 02, 2017

January Wrap-Up

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens January 19, 2017

Winter Birds

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens January 12, 2017

Snow Part II

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens January 05, 2017

Chickens!

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All material ©2013 - 2022 by Tamara Paulat Chickadee Gardens. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited

about Chickadee Gardens

Chickadee Gardens has moved from a small, green oasis in the urban center of Portland, Oregon, zone 8b, to Saint Helens, some 35 miles outside of Portland to our dream of two acres. Our focus is native plantings but we also love (non-invasive) ornamentals. 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.

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.

contact Tamara at chickadeegardenspdx@gmail.com

Blog archive at Chickadee Gardens

2022 24
- 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
2016 50
- December 5
- November 4
- October 4
- September 5
- August 4
- July 4
- June 4
- May 4
- April 4
- March 4
- February 4
- January 4
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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Instagram

pintrest

Visit Tamara's profile on Pinterest.

blogs I read

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

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links!

My Guest Blog at Gardening Know How
Backyard Habitat Certification Program
Bosky Dell Native Plant Nursery for Willamette Valley
Cistus Nursery
City of Portland Ecoroof Handbook PDF
Cornell Project Feederwatch
E-Garden-Go
Echo Valley Natives Plant Nursery
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
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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chickadeegardenspdx@gmail.com

labels

Anna's hummingbird9
Arctostaphylos8
Art in the Garden11
Asclepias13
Audubon Portland7
Autumn color28
Backyard Habitat Certification Program13
before and after45
Bird Creek Meadows4
birds16

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