Cultivating plants, people and communities since 1977
Skagit Valley is home to three demonstration gardens operated by volunteers as a learning resource for the public. On the last Saturday of June, the gardens host an open house where visitors are welcomed to spend a day with the volunteers who maintain the gardens to learn more about the gardens and gardening. See plants chosen to perform well in the Pacific Northwest. Learn about effective garden practices, soil health, composting, pollinators, fruit tree pruning, native plants, weed identification, and more. Bring your family and friends.
The gardens are located on the grounds of Washington State University (WSU) Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center (NWREC) at Mount Vernon, WA (map).
If you can’t make the open house, all three gardens are free to visit and open to the public 7 days a week from dawn to dusk with signage and self-guided tours.
Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden features 30 themed garden rooms on 1.5 acres with ADA accessible paths and educational displays.
Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation (NW Fruit) has 6 acres of fruit trees and berries suited for our climate with informative signage and espaliers. Tour the Antique Apple Collection in the orchard’s inner oval or Tour the entire orchard. Ask about pruning and thinning of fruit
Salal Native Plant Garden is a half-acre oasis of native plants in a shady natural habitat. Docents available for tours and to answer questions.
Discover the 30 garden rooms with individual themes. While you are enjoying the gardens: check out our wildlife snag; Follow the yellow brick road; see our raised bed designs; watch mason bees in action; browse the children's lending library; look for frogs and fish in the ponds; see a tree support system; discover the online plant list...
A 6-acre fruit orchard open to the public 7 days a week from dawn to dusk. Learn about fruit tree varieties that grow well in the PNW, and how to care for them. There is a Self-guided Tour which begins at the kiosk at the east side of the center oval with 40 points of interest, or just tour the Antique Apple Collection.
The Native Plant Garden is a half-acre oasis that holds the seeds for the future of native plants in the lower Skagit Valley. It was created twenty-five years ago as a collaboration between the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society and the Washington State University Agriculture Extension Agency at Mount Vernon (WSU). Learn about gardening with natives, conservation and invasive species.
