In the heart of Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown district, occupying a full city block, sits the largest urban classical Chinese Garden outside of China. Pro-Gro Mixes is proud to be a major sponsor of the garden and has provided all of the soil mixes for the project. “We wanted to ensure that all the plantings had the best planting medium, and Pro-Gro was our #1 choice, the only company we wanted to provide the soil for the garden,” stated Phyllis Oster, Director of Development of the Classical Chinese Garden Trust. Inspired by the sister city relationship between the City of Portland and Suzhou, China, renowned for having the finest classical urban gardens in the world, the garden will provide a cultural and artistic mecca for the enjoyment, enrichment and education of our residents and visitors.
Portlanders will be amazed by the garden’s craftsmanship, it’s intricate arrangements of water, along with its beautiful landscape and architecture. “Lan Su Yuan” or Garden of Awakening Orchid, is authentic, plant, brought in directly from China. It is the only of its kind in the world. The garden features eight pavilions with names like “Knowing the Fish”, “Can’t-Live-Without- Bamboo”, and “Spring Rain Washing Flowers”, which surround a central lake. Chines symbolism can be seen everywhere from the lotus flowers floating on the lake, to the building shaped like a boat with weeping willows planted nearby.