Olmsted Salon: Private Designs in the Pacific Northwest (Hosted by Olmsted Network) – September 23, 2026
Location: Elk Rock Garden, 11800 S Military Lane, Portland
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, PT
Price: $65
Purchase Tickets: https://olmsted.org/events/olmsted-salon-private-designs-in-the-pacific-northwest/
Join the Olmsted Network for an intimate gathering exploring the remarkable and often-overlooked legacy of Olmsted-designed private estates and residential communities across Portland and the Pacific Northwest.
Held at Elk Rock Garden, one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest surviving Olmsted-influenced estates, now lovingly stewarded as a public landscape, this special salon brings together homeowners, preservation advocates, landscape and design professionals, real estate leaders, and admirers of historic places for an afternoon of conversation, connection, and exploration.
Guests will enjoy:
• A private luncheon overlooking the gardens
• Guided tours of Elk Rock Gardens and select interiors
• Conversations exploring the remarkable and largely hidden network of Olmsted-designed private landscapes and communities that continue to shape neighborhoods across the Pacific Northwest
• Opportunities to connect with professionals and enthusiasts engaged in architecture, landscape design, historic preservation, and estate stewardship
Whether you live in an Olmsted-designed community, care for a historic property, work in design or preservation, or simply appreciate exceptional landscapes, this gathering offers a rare opportunity to experience an important chapter of the Olmsted legacy while connecting with others who share a passion for thoughtful design, stewardship, and cultural heritage.
Attendance is intentionally limited to foster meaningful conversation and personal connections. Guests are encouraged to carpool or use rideshare services due to limited parking at Elk Rock Garden and to help preserve the intimate character of the event.
Tickets are $65 per person.
This special luncheon is open to both conference participants and members of the broader Portland community with an interest in historic landscapes, architecture, and preservation.
Also consider attending the Olmsted Network’s 2026 Annual Conference—The Power of Connection: Shaping Resilient Public Landscapes—taking place September 23–25 at OSU’s Portland Center.
Tea in the Garden – JUNE 27 at 2pm
Join us for our first annual Tea in the Garden fundraiser at Elk Rock Garden on Saturday, June 27 at 2pm.
Launch your summer season with an afternoon of elegance, purpose and generosity! And be sure to dress the part: seersucker, fancy hats and floral attire are strongly encouraged.
A limited number of tickets are still available for $250 each. Reserve yours here.
Elk Rock Garden is a private, nonprofit garden that has been free and open to the public since 1959. Your ticket purchase and attendance at this event directly support our mission to conserve, restore and enhance this historic property as a community resource and a nationally-recognized center for nature-based learning and climate resilience.
Don’t forget to reserve your ticket!
* The botanical drawing featured above dates to the early 1900s. According to archival photos, forget-me-nots were growing in abundance at Elk Rock Garden around the same time period. The Pacific Northwest is home to two native varieties of forget-me-nots: Myosotis laxa (a wetland variety) and Myosotis Alpestris (a subalpine variety.) Both have bloomed in this region for centuries.
SATURDAY, MAY 9
SOLD OUT! Please check back for more events to come throughout the year.
A rare opportunity to tour the three Kerr gardens on the same day!
Whether you are a seasoned gardener, just starting out, or simply love gardens these gardens will have something for everyone. All three tours will be guided by experts familiar with the gardens and there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions about their gardens’ history, their special designs and specific plant care information.
The tour will include Peter Kerr’s Olmsted-influenced Elk Rock Garden, and the personal gardens of his daughters Jane Kerr Platt and Lady Anne Kerr McDonald, both privately owned and rarely open to the public.
These three unique gardens will feed your soul and inspire your garden planning!
Proceeds from this fundraiser will support the ongoing conservation work of the non-profit Elk Rock Garden and House and in its growth into a community learning hub.
We strongly encourage carpooling as parking will be limited.
Tickets are timed entry at specific gardens- $75 per person and non-refundable.
Tours will happen, rain or shine.
Only 100 tickets were available.
Elk Rock Garden is a 501(c)3 non-profit and your ticket price is fully tax deductible.
Come visit us at Elk Rock Garden, where history blooms and a sustainable future takes root.