Find out why visitors kept smiling, as they explored this hidden educational garden in Brentwood–Darlington …
At the Welcome Table, certified Multnomah County Master Gardeners Association members Andrea Larson, Ellen Ingamells, and Jack Lazareck welcome guests to the Open Garden.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The gates of the Multnomah County Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden opened wide on Saturday, August 8, as volunteers welcomed neighbors to an “Open Garden” in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood of Southeast Portland.
Under sunny skies, visitors strolled through carefully-tended beds, asked questions of Master Gardener volunteers, and learned how one acre of ground can serve as both classroom and community hub. The one-acre site is leased from Portland Parks & Recreation, and serves as the working home of the Multnomah County Master Gardeners Association (MCMG).
Co-Chair Carole Hardy shares background on the Multnomah County Master Gardeners Association with visitors at the Demonstration Garden.
‘Community of learning and giving back’
Co-Chair Carole Hardy, who coordinates the perennial beds and Education & Community Outreach – and also currently serves as President of the Multnomah County Master Gardeners Association – explained that the Demonstration Garden grew from a training need for OSU Extension Master Gardeners, and went on to expand into a broader community resource.
Hardy described the Garden’s primary role as a hands-on training site for new Master Gardeners:
“The Demonstration Garden was created mainly for the purpose of helping educate the OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers as they come into the program, and a place for us to practice.”
Linda Goldser and her granddaughter, Sadie Hyde, team up at the crafts station to welcome young visitors.
Over time, organizers invited the wider community into the space, both as visitors and as volunteers.
“The secondary role is that we invite the community in, because they can also volunteer here and learn from our growing techniques; and the third role is that we grow food, and donate it to food pantries,” Hardy pointed out. “So it’s all part of a community of learning, and giving back.”
Opening the garden to neighbors
The Open Garden turned what is usually an active work site into a special weekend destination for gardeners and the garden‑curious.
“We are in the Multnomah County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden, and today we have opened our doors and invited the community in to look at the various beds where we grow fruits and vegetables and native plants to support wildlife,” Hardy explained. “We invite the public in to learn from our demonstration gardens, and talk with community.”
Hardy described the day’s highlight as the chance for neighbors to meet the volunteers, and each other, in a relaxed setting: “The best part is inviting the community in. They don’t come in generally during our hours when we’re here volunteering, because those are during the day – so it’s a chance for people to come in on the weekend, spend a little time, and talk with each other, and with Master Gardeners. So it’s real sense of community and learning, and everybody’s smiling.”
Conversation ebbs and flows under the covered pergola, as guests and Master Gardeners discuss plants and garden tips.
Visitors did, in fact, appear to linger, talk, and explore. Guests wandered among vegetable beds and native plantings, stopping often to ask questions, to pick up literature, and – when invited – to sample ripe vine fruits that had come into season. The summery weather helped fill the paths with a steady stream of families and individual gardeners throughout the four‑hour event.
Behind the scenes: Volunteers and donations
Hardy estimated that about 120 Master Gardeners are active in Multnomah County, with roughly 40 of them volunteering regularly at the Demonstration Garden, and about 30 pitching in to put on the Open Gardens – from setup, through greeting and answering questions.
After a visitor asks for directions, MCMG member Kathleen Fisher points the way to another part of the garden.
Their work extends beyond hosting visitors. The one-acre plot is also a production garden that channels fresh food to local food pantries. “Last year we donated one ton of produce to food pantries,” Hardy reported.
In addition to Hardy’s work on perennials and outreach, she remarked that Co-Chair Heidi Nichols oversees edible crops, produce donations , and daily garden tasks – the behind‑the‑scenes work that keeps the beds productive and food flowing.
After the event, Co-Chair Linda Goldser – who handles event logistics, volunteer onboarding and much of the group’s communications and reporting – reflected on what visitors experienced. “We counted 145 adult visitors and 10 children,” said Goldser. “Our 48 volunteers worked happily for four hours answering gardening questions of these engaged visitors.”
Martha Mealy uses the “Soil Box” to show visitors how visible fungus signals healthy, well‑structured soil.
What visitors experienced
The Open Garden grew out of an educational mission, and organizers emphasized learning opportunities at every turn.
The Open Garden invitation welcomed guests to wander the one-acre educational site on a self-guided tour, learn about edible and native plants, wildlife habitats, native bees, invertebrates and ways to manage urban creatures, and bring their gardening questions to Master Gardeners.
Visitors could pick up free educational materials, seeds, and bee houses – while they lasted; stop at a children’s booth, for hands-on activities; and enter a raffle for a nursery gift certificate. During the day, families gravitated to the kids’ area, while adults clustered around edible beds and native plantings – talking with volunteers about soil, irrigation, plant choices, and how to recreate the garden’s habitat features at home.
These Open Gardens are free and intentionally informal – with a drop‑in, come‑and‑go atmosphere that matches the garden’s “demonstration” purpose. For many, it offered a chance to test ideas with experienced gardeners before trying them out in their own yards.
At the free seed table, guests pause to pick out varieties, and ask Master Gardeners for planting tips.
Beyond one day
Although this Open Garden has wrapped up, the Demonstration Garden continues to function as a teaching site, volunteer hub and quiet green corner in Brentwood–Darlington. Master Gardeners keep working on the same beds that visitors toured, tending edible crops and native plantings, and continuing to grow food for donation.
Community members who enjoyed the open day – as well as those who missed it – can still connect with MCMG, learn from its resources, and, if they wish, join the volunteer ranks who keep the garden thriving.
Find out more by visiting their website: CLICK HERE.
On our Front Page: At their compact Herb Garden, it’s MCMG member Debbie Haas!
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
