Pink cherry blossoms, multi-colored tulips, purple lavender fields: Oregon is home to some of the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful flower fields, and Portland is a great starting point to visit colorful flower festivals in spring and summer.

Fruits and vegetables, flowers, and even wine grow extremely well in Oregon. Reasons for the diverse blooming landscape are the great climate conditions. No wonder countless farms and vineyards are located in the valleys surrounding Portland and along the Columbia River Gorge.

Flower festivals, U-pick fruit picking, and fall harvest celebrations take place throughout the entire summer. If you are up for hiking, wildflowers will color up your nature trip in spring. In this guide, you find the best flower fields and festivals near Portland as well as an overview of blossom seasons and farm locations.

Kicking off spring season:
Cherry blossoms in Portland

Every year blooming season gets kicked off with the white and pink cherry trees. As soon as you see the first blossoms you know that spring is around the corner and the following months will be colorful in every aspect.

The most iconic spot for cherry blossoms in Portland is located at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the West side of the Willamette River. It’s the only real alley of cherry trees in Downtown Portland. But there are many more spots in and around town, where you can admire the pink bloom. Especially the Northeast and Southeast neighborhoods are surprisingly full of different kinds of cherry trees.

Best time for cherry blossom viewing: The cherry bloom already starts in February. Keep your eyes open and don’t waste time! As the cherry peak bloom doesn’t last long in general it can be over in only one or two weeks by Mid March. But don’t worry: The pink cherry blossoms might be gone fast, but many more weeks of colorful bloom will follow.

Colorful tulip fields:
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

While multi-colored tulip fields generally get connected with the Netherlands, Oregonians don’t need to fly to Europe to admire the endless rows of colorful tulips. Oregon’s biggest tulip field is located only 30 miles /48 km south of Portland at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm & Vinyard near Woodburn.

The adjacent vineyard opens up the opportunity to combine wandering through the fields with sampling some estate-grown wines or heading over to the tasting room after you’ve been strolling in the fields and shopping some bulbs, bouquets, or cut tulips.

The farm also hosts the yearly Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest (March to April). That adds a tulip market, wine wagon tours, and even hot balloon rides to the activity list. As well as various family activities such as a cow train, pony, and hay wagon rides.

Iris, Dahlias & Peonies near Portland

If you are in the area around Woodburn or Salem and really are into flower fields, you shouldn’t miss checking out Schreiner’s Iris Garden (open until the end of May), Adelman Peony Gardens, or Brooks Peony Gardens (open until mid-June).

In August and September the fields of Swan Island Dahlias, the largest and leading dahlia grower in the United States, are in full bloom.

Lavender fields near Portland, Oregon

Similar to the association of tulips with the Netherlands, comes the association of impressive lavender fields in France, doesn’t it? And luckily also for the purple fields of the Provence in Europe, Oregon provides an answer:

There are around 20 lavender farms and fields located around Portland in the Willamette and Tualatin Valley. They grow lavender to distill essential oil for the production of soap, lotions, candles, perfume, etc.

To find the lavender farm near you, check out the Lavender Northwest, a website that provides a great overview of Oregon’s lavender farms, their locations, and lavender festivals (taking place in June and July). Curious where to find the unique scenery of lavender fields with Mount Hood in the distance?

By the way: The Helvetia Lavender Farm, located close to Portland, is also home to a Christmas Tree Farm. where you can cut your own Christmas Tree.

Portland, City of Roses

Did you know that Portland’s claim ‘City of Roses’ isn’t only another of Portland’s nicknames but also the official city name? And that the annual Rose Festival is Portland’s biggest festival with parades, fireworks, and events throughout the city?

Save the date: Next Rose Festival will take place between May 26 – June 11, 2023.

Roses in Portland bloom from May through September with their peak bloom in June. To see impressive rose gardens you don’t even have to leave the city.

One of the most popular rose gardens is the International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park, close to the Portland Japanese Garden. It’s the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States. Roses bloom throughout the entire city.

My favorite rose garden is Peninsula Park in Northeast Portland. This location is especially popular with locals who meet up for a walk or picnic.

Wildflower hikes near Portland

As soon as spring arrives in the Pacific Northwest and cities like Portland or Seattle awaken from hibernation, mountains and valleys get dressed up as well. Then it’s time to get your hiking boots ready and head out to find wildflowers.

The Columbia River Gorge, the Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, Willamette Valley, and the Cascade region are the best places to find wildflowers during the months of May, June, and July. As the Eastern parts of Oregon will be the first regions to turn into colorful meadows, the bloom continues westwards and hits the mountain ranges at the latest. So there is enough time to plan your trip.

Blooming Trees: Hood River Fruit Loop

Another possibility to admire hundreds of blooming apple and pear trees is by cruising along the Hood River Fruit Loop in early spring. Actually, a must when visiting Portland. The city of Portland is home to many colorful parks and gardens that come to full bloom in the summer months.

Late summer: A sea of yellow sunflowers

Sauvie Island, Hood River, and Hillsboro seem to be the places to find sunflower fields in August and September. I found this information at “The House of Hood Blog” and will definitely check it out as I missed them last summer.

Sauvie Island isn’t far from Northeast Portland and is worth a visit throughout the summer. Sauvie Island is well known for its fruit and vegetable farms, where the picking season starts in June. Strawberries are the first to be harvested, followed by raspberries, Oregon native marionberries, peaches, cherries, and a variety of vegetables.

The season only comes to an end in October, when the famous Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch wraps up the festival season.

Fall colors & harvest season:
Pumpkin patches near Portland

As you might have realized by reading through this article, flower cutting and fruit picking aren’t only a thing because of the colorful fields. Every bloom and harvest comes along with a festival to be celebrated. The closer the season comes to Thanksgiving and Halloween the more obvious it becomes that the fruit and veggie season can only be wrapped up with pumpkins.

Before being presented on dinner plates and decorated on front porches the orange, yellow and red vegetables need to be harvested, no matter the size and weight. Of course, this couldn’t be celebrated without one last family festival. Harvesting your own pumpkin is THE event every October. Everything you need to know about pumpkin patches and fall maizes is covered in my article:

Flower fields Oregon:
Blooming season & farm locations

Wondering when Oregon’s flower fields are in full bloom and where to find the prettiest flower fields? Follow this table to identify the best time to visit:

Map of Oregon flower fields

Flower festivals Oregon 2023

• Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival 2023: March 17 – May 7
• Florence Rhododendron Festival 2023: May 18 – 21
• Portland Rose Festival 2023: May 26 – June 11
• Lavender Daze Festival 2023: First 4 weekends in July
• Swan Island Dahlia Festival 2023: August + September Wednesday – Sunday
• Sauvie Island Pumpkin Festival 2023: October

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More Oregon flower power reads:

• Guide to cherry blossom in Portland
• Best wildflower hikes in Oregon and Washington
• 20 lavender fields in Oregon not to miss in 2022 + updated lavender festival dates
• Harvest Season: Pumpkin Patch & preparations for Oregon fall season
• Best spots to catch fall colors in Portland, Oregon

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QUESTIONS & COMMENTS?

Have you ever been to Oregon and been looking for colorful flower fields like tulips, lavender, or sunflowers? Leave me a comment! Do you like the article, or still have any suggestions, feedback, or recommendations? Feel free to share this article with your friends!

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