Shore Acres Garden Needs Cleanup Volunteers - S. Oregon Coast

Published 04/20/23 at 6:32 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Indisputably the Oregon coast's most dramatic wave-watching spot, Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay has something else equally striking and singular: a richly-layered garden that is pure explosive colors. It's the largest such garden on not just the south Oregon coast but anywhere in the state, outside of the biggies in Portland and Silverton. (Photo courtesy Friends of Shore Acres State Park)

Yet the Shore Acres State Park gardens are going to need some help this year. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is holding two garden cleanup events that will ready the colorful attraction for the summer.

OPRD said they need help on Friday, May 19 and Friday, June 16 at Shore Acres State Park – with both events going from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sign up website is here

“Tasks include weeding, trimming, mowing, mulching, painting, staining, picking up trash and pulling invasive weeds in the botanical gardens,” OPRD said.

Those participating should pack a sack lunch, water and gloves if they have them, OPRD said. Rangers at the park strongly suggest wearing closed-toe shoes and dressing for the weather – as it is the Oregon coast, after all. Be prepared to walk a bit on uneven ground and know that working with these hand tools won't be an easy task but rather strenuous.

Courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more

These two beautification events will assist in getting the park ready for Rose Sunday on June 18, a Father’s Day celebration going from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that includes rose viewing, Garden House open house, refreshments and information displays from the South Coast Rose Society.

Shore Acres' gardens are a formal construct that holds plants and flowers from all over the world, something that started way back over a century ago, as builder Louis Simpson collected flora that was coming into the area via the town's shipping industry. He constructed a Japanese-style garden with a lily pond and two curated rose gardens that include All-American Rose Selections.

Photo courtesy Friends of Shore Acres State Park

“Something is in bloom almost every day of the year: the first spring bulbs pop up in late February; rhododendrons and azaleas soon follow; roses bloom through the summer; and dahlias appear August through mid-October,” OPRD said.

In the winter, the gardens are used for the elaborate Holiday Lights at Shore Acres, where hundreds of thousands of lights set the extensive and detailed place aglow.

Shore Acres State Park, 89526 Cape Arago Highway, Coos Bay. Sign up here.

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MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Photo courtesy Friends of Shore Acres State Park

Photo courtesy OPRD

The original Simpson mansion before it burned (photo courtesy Coos Bay History Museum)

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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