We Need Your Support

Help Us Make a Great Garden Greater!

Ohme Gardens, Wenatchee Valley’s premier attraction, is now over 80 years old.  Started in 1929 by Herman and Ruth Ohme as their private backyard, the Gardens are now a world-renowned showpiece not only for garden enthusiasts but for anyone to marvel at what hard work, determination and ingenuity can create.  Indeed, visitors from around the world come to see this oasis high up on a rocky outcrop, overlooking the Columbia River.

Of course, the Gardens are a living, growing environment that changes all the time and, like any garden, needs constant upkeep, maintenance, and repair.  For over 60 years the Ohme family, devoted their lives to their “backyard”.   We know that preserving the Gardens is critical; enhancing the Gardens is our goal.  With help from the community we hope to keep the dream alive.

Sylvan Pool – 1936

The Gardens are owned and managed by Chelan County but not publicly funded.  Tax dollars do not support the Gardens.   As a self-supporting enterprise, the operating budget is met through admission fees, wedding & event fees, and memberships.

Now, as we approach the Gardens’ centennial we are looking for supporters to help, through:

• Sponsorships – Become a corporate or individual sponsor, minimum donation $100, and we’ll add your name to a Tap or Scan Interactive Display or the Plant Board. Speak to the Garden Administrator, (509) 662-5785, to learn more.
• Donations – We will add your name on the Donor Board located at the entry to the Gardens for the season, and overtime with continued donations, we will install a permanent plaque. Click to  go to our donation page.
• Memberships – Annual Season’s passes, are not only the most economical way to visit the Gardens through out the year, the come with benefits. Learn more here.

Help us preserve and enhance this regional treasure, and simply “make a great garden greater”.

Early Spring in the Gardens

As the Gardens open on April 15 they begin their 86th season. It is hard to believe that in a mere 14 years they will reach their first century of existence. From dream to reality to maturity, the Gardens,  the inspiration of Herman and Ruth Ohme, have transformed themselves from inception to the rich, fabulous Gardens that transfix visitors on a daily basis.

Most octogenarians that we know are certainly starting to wind down enjoying the twilight years of life – not so the Gardens.  Below, you will see the view from the Lower lawns looking down towards the Columbia River.  The hillside is full of a wide variety of flowers to keep the bloom alive throughout a majority of the season.  

Balance in All Things

Corbin Schmidt recently completed yoga teacher training through iLa Yoga Studio and began preparing to launch a career in California with some well known yoga studios.

When we were planning his photo shoot and discussing the most beautiful places in Wenatchee, of course we were drawn to the natural beauty of the desert, but Ohme Gardens stands out as one of the most beautiful places in the greater Wenatchee Valley. The space is so dynamic; with hand-built stone stairways, beautifully glimmering pools and ponds, and gorgeous light that seeps through the trees and falls to the well manicured gardens below.

Ohme is one of my favorite places in the valley not just to shoot, but to spend wandering slowly with a curious eye. There is something really magical about Ohme Gardens.

– Brian Abbey, Wenatchee Valley resident, photographer and film teacher. 

Count the Koi

Ohme Gardens is a good place for kids. For them, it’s a magical place. Fairies and gnomes could be hiding around any corner. There are battles to be won, mysteries to be unraveled.

It’s also a good place to tire kids out. And to strengthen little legs that might not be able to hack a hike up Saddlerock or Sage Hills. There are plenty of benches for resting and lawns for frolicking.

Here we try to spot all the Koi at the Enchantment Falls pool. It captured their attention for roughly 45 seconds, after which it was on to the next thing!

Ohme Summer – 2014

We will be contributing to the Ohme Gardens blog this summer. I am not in the selfie, because it is my experience that I always look like John Goodman in them, so I avoid selfies at all cost.

Being a transplant to the North Central Washington area, I first visited the Gardens about three years ago. Color me impressed – I couldn’t believe that a single family was responsible for this oasis perched on an otherwise sage-barren hill overlooking the Columbia River.

After moving to Sunnyslope, just outside Wenatchee and just down the road from the Gardens, we started to visit more regularly. So this summer when we were given the opportunity to write blog posts for the Gardens we happily accepted.

So what follows will be our thoughts and musings from one of the most beautiful places in the Pacific Northwest, Ohme Gardens. Some posts might include interesting facts or historical tidbits, or they might just be bits of famous poems the gardens remind me of.

I hope our experiences at Ohme Gardens this summer encourage you to visit and enjoy this local gem.

-Dominick Bonny

Ox Yoke Lodge Renovation!

Ox Yoke Lodge was the second structure built here in the 1930’s; this rustic shelter was built of logs with the ceiling, roof and siding covered with cedar bark. The picturesque shelter, complete with a native stone fireplace and rustic furniture, housed many picnics and family functions. Hanging from the center roof pitch is a large ox yoke. This was a prominent feature when viewing the shelter and gave this structure its name. Herman would design his structures, but never write down a plan; it was always in his head.

Our beloved lodge is growing more and more unstable every season, and we are looking to renovate and improve it! We are hoping some of our Ohme friends either have the knowledge or have a friend (who has a friend) that is a retired architect or grant writer. Either way, we need help to keep our beautiful historic garden alive and safe for future and returning visitors!

Please contact our Garden Director, Mike Short, if you are able to help or have any questions! 509.662.5785

Yoga at Ohme Gardens

9th Street Yoga is back at Ohme Gardens, offering yoga classes on Wednesday evenings in June, July, August, and September!!

June: One class offered Wednesdays at 5:00pm
July & August: Two classes offered on Wednesdays at 5:00pm and 6:00pm
September: One class offered Wednesdays at 5:00pm

Admission is $10, paid by cash or check at the Ohme Gardens office upon entry.

BYOM (bring your own mat)! 🙂 And props if you like to use them in class.

Questions? Email us at ohmegardens@charter.net

 

Concert Ticket Pre-Sale for Season Pass Holders!!

Tickets for our Subaru Summer Concert Series are now available for purchase! General admission tickets (for non-Season Pass holders) are $12.00 each, and now available to purchase at any quantity for any specific concert.

If you are an Ohme Gardens Season Pass holder, tickets are now available in bulk (increments of 5) at $6.00 a ticket! These tickets are transferable, you can use them for any concert you would like and give them to whomever you choose! Purchase 10, 15, 20 tickets, all at 50% off the General Admission Price.

If you are a Season Pass holder and would not like to buy in bulk, admission is $9.00 per ticket (this is the same price you would pay at the door).

We have a fantastic lineup this year, and are so excited to bring such talented artists to the Gardens.

Questions? Call the Ohme Gardens office at 509.662.5785. Our office is open from 9:00am to 7:00pm, 7 days a week!

2013 Summer Concert Series!!

It is officially official! July 11th marks our first concert of the 2013 Subaru Summer Concert Series!

As always, we are truly grateful for the sponsors who help us put on this annual fundraiser for both the Wenatchee Valley community and out-of-town visitors.

This year’s lineup:



Thursday, July 11th: 
Scott Cossu Trio
 (Windom Hill Recording Artists
)

Thursday, July 18th: 
Queens of Seven Band (
Local favorite Blues and R&B)

Friday, July 26th: 
OK 2 Botay Steel Drum Band (
20+ member Steel Drum Band from Tri-Cities)



Thursday, August 1st
: Campbell Road
 (Music of Ireland & Scotland)



Thursday, August 8th: 
The Wenatchee Swingin’ Big Band

Enjoy live music from some of the area’s most entertaining performers in the lush serenity found only at Ohme Gardens! Food and beverages available for purchase by Tastebuds.

For information on advance tickets, please click here.

Share Your Story – Jim Y.

“I grew up living below Ohme Gardens, we would climb up the hill and walk around, in the winter all of the ponds were frozen and we would walk across them. I loved the lookout and overlooks. Gordon and his sons did a wonderful job of improving the plants, paths and buildings. My Brother Marc was married there, it was a beautiful ceremony.”
– Jim Younkin, Jr.

To submit your Ohme Gardens story, please email ohmegardens@charter.net (with “Share Your Story” in the subject line), or visit our Facebook page.