Established in 1994, the Demonstration Gardens feature fifteen different gardens that are used to teach the art and science of gardening through the Master Gardener Program and to the community at large. The Demonstration Gardens are located on the grounds surrounding the OSU Extension office in Central Point. The public is welcome to take self-guided tours Monday through Friday between the hours of 9-5 p.m.
Daylily Garden
The Daylily Garden features more than 70 cultivars of the Hemerocallis genus. For more than a decade, Master Gardener volunteers in the garden have been cross-breeding different daylilies, including about a dozen new hybrids that will be registered with the American Hemerocallis Society.
Entry Garden
The Entry Garden is an ever-changing landscape that includes annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines, a Red Maple tree, and a specimen rock garden. Even with reflective heat from the sidewalk and building, the Entrance Garden shows you can still have an outstanding landscape with year-round color.
Fig Garden
The Fig Garden demonstrates the growing of a variety of fig trees, including the popular ‘Brown Turkey’ and ‘Celest’ cultivars. Fig trees can be grown with little care, just some seasonal pruning to increase air circulation and ease of harvesting, regular cutting of suckers, a bit of compost and water, and lots of sun.
Herb Garden
The Herb Garden demonstrates numerous herbs that can be grown in Southern Oregon. These culinary herbs are the aromatic fresh, dried, or processed leaves, roots, and flowers of herbaceous plants. They are used to enhance the flavor and fragrance of a variety of culinary dishes and beverages.
Lavender Garden
The Lavender Garden includes 80 varieties of lavender and more than 250 plants, many of which were donated by Goodwin Creek Gardens in Williams, Oregon. The garden is the only one in the Pacific Northwest registered with the Herb Society of America. It is part of the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail, open from June to mid-August.
Native Plant Garden
This garden can be viewed on both sides of the main path. It showcases native plants found in this region that are suitable for home gardens and landscapes. Native plants are adapted to local environmental conditions and provide food and shelter for butterflies, pollinators, a variety of insects, native birds, and other wildlife.
Native Plants Nursery
This nursery is used to grow and care for a variety of native plants that are sold to the public throughout the year. Growing native plants in a home garden or landscape provides numerous benefits for wildlife, pollinators, and food webs and also aids in soil building, water infiltration, watershed restoration, and carbon sequestration.
Orchards
Approximately 40 different apple are grown here including Fuji and Honeycrisp, along with a few lesser-known varieties such as Arkansas Black, and Bramley’s Seedling. The orchards also contain 6 varieties of peach trees and 5 varieties of pear trees.
Perennial Garden
Perennial plants are the backbone of nearly every flower garden. The lifespan, bloom time, culture and form of perennial plants vary greatly. Our Perennial/Shade garden has a mixture of shade, dappled sunlight, and even areas with hot afternoon sun. Since few edible plants grow well under shady conditions, shade gardens are usually ornamental.
Propagation Garden
This garden was started by garden mentors to teach how to propagate a variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees. The garden demonstrates a variety of techniques, including the use of propagation tents. The sale of plants propagated in this garden, which are offered to the public throughout the year, are sold to benefit JCMGA.
Rose Garden
There are more than 150 varieties in the Rose Garden and other Demonstration Gardens. These include: hybrid tea roses, floribundas, grandifloras, miniature roses, climbing roses, and David Austin roses. Our roses have a huge flush of blooms from mid-May to the beginning of July; a second flush occurs in September.
Vegetable Garden
Along with demonstrating methods for growing a variety of common vegetables, this garden supports numerous pollinators and other beneficial insects. In addition, the garden utilizes various growing methods for use in small home gardens, including the use of raised beds, containers, straw bales, companion planting, and the use of cover crops for carbon sequestration, weed control and nitrogen fixing.
Vineyard
The Master Gardener demonstration vineyard is planted with 17 varieties of grapes used in the production of wine, raisins, or for fresh consumption (table grapes). All are cultivars of the species Vitis vinifera. The vineyard also demonstrates different styles of pruning, training, and trellising grapes.
Wanda Hauser Heritage Garden
Why is this a Heritage Garden? The Wanda Hauser Garden was the first garden planted on the extension grounds in the 1960’s. It reflects the kinds of plants a pioneer woman would have grown, to use for fragrance, pest deterrents, and medicinal and culinary uses. Travel the paths to see Trees, Herbs, Heritage Roses and more.
Waterwise Garden
Water-wise gardening offers an attractive, sustainable landscape that conserves water. In our Water-wise Garden we conserve water by using mostly drought-tolerant plants by grouping plants together with similar needs and by mulching.
Wildflower Garden
The Wildflower Garden features flowers, shrubs and grasses along with a variety of non-native wildflowers that are frequently grown here. Our area is part of the California Province of Wildflowers, which is considered a hotspot for native plant biodiversity. Many of these plants support butterflies and pollinators. This garden was registered as a Monarch Way Station as of 2015.
Oregon State University Extension
