A strip of running water cuts down the middle of a rustic table made from thick planks of old barn wood and held up with substantial pieces of native Oregon oak. A riot of greens, squash, pumpkin, corn and apples heaped on and around the table symbolize the tradition of agriculture in the Willamette Valley.
The display is the third incarnation of a seasonal garden created at Bauman’s Farm by Portland garden designer P. Annie Kirk and landscaper Kevin Schindler.
“I had an idea for a pilot project,” says Kirk, who wanted to bring the farm-to-table concept even closer to home by making a farm at table. “What if everything was at your fingertips? What if you decided, I’m going to have these salad greens, these strawberries and pick them right at the table.”
So Kirk, owner of Red Bird Restorative Gardens, enlisted the help of Schindler of Autumn Leaf Landscaping. He was all for the idea of building a garden within a garden center and approached his friend Brian Bauman, whose family started farming in the valley in 1894.
“My heart is really attached to this land,” says Kirk, “and I know that’s true about Brian’s family and Kevin’s wife’s family. I wanted to make something that was a legacy of this land and that legacy is farming.”
The living display is meant to give customers a place to sit, rest and interact, all important concepts in Kirk’s design. Set before the table are cubelike seats made to look like bee hives in a nod to the essential pollinators. A few strides away across a hazelnut covered path, more aviary-impersonating seats surround a fire pit. And, of course, the rill of running water has plenty of room for bottles of Willamette Valley wine and the beer made from hops grown in the area.
For spring, Kirk set the table with blueberries, strawberries, edible flowers, sorrel and early herbs. The strawberries stayed for the summer, when the display included more greens, basil and early corn. The current version stays up into November.
— Kym Pokorny
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