The Garden

The Greengable Garden is privately owned, and open to the public Garden. You are welcome to come and walk through our back yard, but please respect our property. In order to help maintain and preserve the Garden we are asking for an admission fee:

$5.00 - per person

$4.00 - 65 and better

Free - babies in strollers

  

For hours please call before you come

541-929-4444

The Garden was established in 1930 as a two acre garden around the house. Currently it is a ten acre garden spreading on both sides of Greasy Creak. Over the years thousands of species - many conifers, maples, camellias, rhododendrons, peonies, irises, day lilies, roses, etc - were collected. It is a feast for plant lovers.

The first resident  was J.Thomsen and his family. He was a local contractor who helped build the Corvallis Post Office and the old part of the Library. He build his Philomath residence in 1930. The style of the house incorporates charming 20th century Norman Farmhouse architecture.

Electricity was generated by a dam and power plant built on Greasy Creak. Thomsen installed a fish latter even before is was  mandatory. The remains of the dam can be still seen under the main bridge.

Thomsen established about two acres of gardens around the house. He installed the little pond next to the house.

The Thomsens

The Shroyers

The Balints

In 1945 George and Helen Shroyer bought the property. In 1950 they expanded the house to accommodate their growing family.

George Shroyer was a local logger. He established a shop near the house. You can still see his equipment and an old barn there (the family still owns it).

 As for Helen, it is here where she followed her passion for gardening. From the moment she moved in, she never waivered in her dedication to the gardens. The thousands of species she collected over the years gave testament to her vision of the gardens and to her legacy of preserving the  beauty of nature for others to enjoy.  She expanded the garden from two to eight acres.

The Balints  acquired the property in the late summer of 2002.

Demetri Balint is the owner of Greengable Farms and is a commercial grower of tulips, daffodils and other bulb flowers.

Viesia Balint is a professional florist and landscape designer. She used to own the Flower Garden, now her home is the Greengable Garden.

Both, Demetri and Viesia graduated from the OSU School of Agriculture. Their professional and private interests always revolved around mutual love and passion for nature and growing plants. Together they created the Greengable Gardens, which made it’s home at Helen’s garden. Creation of Greengable Gardens in a perfect continuation of Helen’s legacy.

Demetri and Viesia have the desire to preserve the past while building the future.