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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

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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

Posts

Showing posts from 2018

Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 27, 2018

An Austin Garden: Tanglewild

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 20, 2018

2018: The Year in Review

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 13, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: Lucinda Hutson

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens December 06, 2018

Sublime Decay: Autumn in the Gardens of Joy Creek Nursery

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 29, 2018

Let's Go! Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 22, 2018

Thankful for the Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 15, 2018

Let's Go! The Great Broad Walk at Kew Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 08, 2018

Autumn Color, Autumn Projects

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens November 01, 2018

Let's Go! Stonehenge and Avebury

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 25, 2018

Let's Go! Glastonbury, England

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 18, 2018

Finding Land: Three Years Later

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 11, 2018

Let's Go! Cornwall Coast and Tintagel, England

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens October 04, 2018

Cool Plants, New Plants and the Veg Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 27, 2018

Early Autumn at Chickadee Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 20, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: Donna Fowler

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens September 01, 2018

Saying Goodbye

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 30, 2018

Late August Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 23, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: Jamison Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 16, 2018

The Oddballs

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens August 09, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: B. Jane Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 26, 2018

We're Having a Heat Wave

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 19, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: The Garden of Pam Penick

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 12, 2018

Early Summer at Chickadee Gardens

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens July 05, 2018

Summer Report from Facilities Manager

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 28, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: A British Transplant in Texas

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 21, 2018

Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin: Mirador Garden

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 14, 2018

GROWISER: Northeastern Oregon's Wildflower Paradise

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens June 07, 2018

My Little Wildflower Meadow

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 31, 2018

Around the Gardens in May

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 24, 2018

The Natural Gardener Nursery: Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 17, 2018

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Garden Blogger's Fling, Austin

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 10, 2018

Native Plants of Spring

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Posted by Chickadee Gardens May 03, 2018

Mid-Spring at Chickadee Gardens

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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
- December 3
- November 4
- October 3
- September 3
- August 3
- July 3
- June 3
- 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
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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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

Garden Rant
Dirt Therapy
Digging
danger garden
Gods and Foolish Grandeur
Late to the Garden Party
GardenRiots
A Growing Obsession
A Way to Garden
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!

followers

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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