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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
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 2023

Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 28, 2023

Cistus Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 14, 2023

December Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 07, 2023

England: The Rest

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 23, 2023

Let's Go: Great Dixter Part II

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 16, 2023

Let's Go: Great Dixter Part I

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 09, 2023

November Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 02, 2023

Let's Go: Sissinghurst Castle Garden Part II

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 26, 2023

Let's Go: Sissinghurst Castle Garden Part I

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 12, 2023

Let's Go: Oxford Botanic Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 05, 2023

Take Five: Forgiving Perennials for Sun

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 28, 2023

Finding Land: Eight Years Later

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 21, 2023

Take Five: Forgiving Shrubs for Shade

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 14, 2023

Take Five: Forgiving Shrubs for Sun

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 31, 2023

Challenges and A Bit of Hope

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 17, 2023

Observations

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 03, 2023

Facilities Manager's Summer Report

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 27, 2023

High Summer

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 20, 2023

Wild Things

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 06, 2023

Golden Hour

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 22, 2023

Summer!

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 15, 2023

Sebright Gardens and Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 01, 2023

Progress Report

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 18, 2023

It's All About the Fleurs

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 11, 2023

Bring On The Projects

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 27, 2023

Unfun Gardening

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 20, 2023

Patience

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens April 06, 2023

Spring-ish

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 30, 2023

Revisiting a Special Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens March 16, 2023

The Miller Botanical Garden and Great Plant Picks

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All material ©2013 - 2024 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

2024 28
- December 1
- November 2
- October 3
- September 3
- August 3
- July 2
- June 2
- May 3
- April 2
- March 2
- February 3
- January 2

2023 36
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
- 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

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Chickadee Gardens

pinterest

Visit Tamara's profile on Pinterest.

November 2021 Better Homes & Gardens Article

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

Services and Products

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

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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
Arctostaphylos20
Art in the Garden12
Asclepias13
Audubon Portland7
Autumn color37
Backyard Habitat Certification Program14
before and after57
Bird Creek Meadows4
birds18

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