Illahe Rare Plant Sale, Open Gardens and Scavenger Hunt
This Saturday, May 18th 10am-4pm at Illahe Rare Plants-7645 Sunnyside Rd SE Salem, Oregon
We have a special treat this year, in addition to the loads of great plants that will be on the sales table, we partnered with some of our friends in our illahe for a fun event. The open house and plant sale include a scavenger hunt, check in to the nursery and do some shopping at illahe and enjoy the gardens then head off on an adventure around our neighborhood. This adventure will take you on a ferry ride across the river, to the best wood fired pizza and wine around, an amazing garden and cut flower shop and to a historic river town. Its free (with the exception of the ferry) and the best part is that you get free plants at some of the stops (limited to the first 32 participants) and deals on a glass of wine! Complete all the stops and return to illahe for a 10% discount on your plant purchases!
The rock garden is popping with color and you can find many of these great plants and more for sale.
The Illahe Adventure Scavenger Hunt:
Make your way around our Illahe and discover some new fun things our neighborhood has to offer, when you complete all the stops come back to the nursery to get 10% off of your plant purchases! You do not have to do them in the order listed, but your final destination should be back here for your discount.
Check them off as you go and snap a picture at each spot to share with us, better yet, post it up on social media and tag us and our participating stops:
o Ankeny Vinyard, Estate Wines and Wood Fired Pizza-2565 Riverside Dr. S. Salem OR.
Our favorite lunch or dinner spot, the wines are wonderful and we think it’s the best wood fired pizza around. They have generously offered a buy one get-one free glass of wine deal for participants in the scavenger hunt so let them know you are on the Illahe Adventure Scavenger hunt. Also, pickup your free plant here, one per customer please. Side-stop for the birders, Ankeney National Wildlife Refuge and the Ankeny Hill Nature Center.
o The Buena Vista Ferry-Buena Vista Rd S, Jefferson, OR -Founded in 1852, Buena Vista Ferry is one of the oldest continuous operating ferries in the state. Take a ride across the Willamette River, in one of my favorite spots to fish and boat on the big river. Salmon, bass and sturgeon are present in the big, slow stretch of water that runs from the confluence of the Luckiamute River and the Santiam down to the ferry crossing. You can often see Osprey and Bald eagles in this stretch. Don’t forget to snap a picture of your experiences! Need a pit stop? Stop at Buena Vista County Park right off the ferry terminus. You will need $3 cash for the ferry toll. Important to note, they don’t take cards.
o Buena Vistas Flowers-5915 Willamette Ferry St, Independence, OR- Visit an absolute gem of a flower shop and garden. Buena Vista has been growing flowers since 1980 and have used sustainable growing practices from the start. Rich compost has been added to the soil for 30-years and it has rewarded them with bountiful results every growing season. Buena Vista Flowers become available towards the end of February and continue to delight customers until October. They are a small family farm and welcome visitors to enjoy a self-guided look around. Bouquets may be purchased by chance or by placing an order. Please call ahead for any special orders.
During the scavenger hunt, bouquets can be purchased directly from our flower barn. Bring some cash with you for one of their amazing flower creations and you can pick up one of your free Illahe adventure scavenger hunt plants here, one per customer please.
o Main Street Independence, Oregon. One of our favorite little towns, Independence, is a historic town that was founded by pioneers migrating from Independence, Missouri. The main street and River Front Park are a wonderful walking destination. You will find many great local shops to explore and a hidden gem of a garden, the Inspiration Garden, created by the Polk County Master Gardeners Association (PCMGA) is tucked away in a quiet neighborhood. Another option is to take a walk down main street and visit one of our favorite spots for a glass of bubbly and something sweet at Jubilee. Snap a selfie in front of the classic architecture of the Independence National Bank Building at the corner of S. Main and Monmouth Street to let us know you made it.
Once you have checked off all the stops, come on back to Illahe and enjoy 10% off your plant purchases! The Sale wraps up at 4:00pm so please be sure to be back at the nursery in time.
A couple of tips, Ankeny Vinyard doesn’t open until 12:00, so if you are at the sale early you might want to head towards Independence for your first stop. Vitae Springs Road is a circuitous, hilly route with many hair pin turns. You can also go down Liberty Rd or Skyline and eventually to Riverside Drive to the Independence Bridge and return via River Road to Croisan Creek Road if you want a more peaceful drive than Vitae Springs Road.
Check out the gallery for a few glimpses of this special event:
This will be our final public sale of the spring sales season, after this we are open by appointment only and will continue to offer mailorder shipping until the summer heat says it’s done.
If you haven’t been to illahe before, parking is available on the gravel driveway in front of the shop, along the cedar fence on Sunnyside Road and on the road shoulder down sunnyside or Jackson Hill, but please don’t block any neighbors driveways.
The free plants at the stops are only for the first 32 customers, so plan to get started early and spend the day enjoying an Illahe Adventure!
For questions or details and to rsvp to let us know you are coming: e mail