2023 Art Fair Plant Sale!

Mission Street Parks Conservancy is excited to hold our annual Summer Plant Sale in conjunction with the Salem Art Fair at Bush’s Pasture Park! • Friday, July 21st: 10am –…

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The Orchard

This week, the Tuesday Gardeners moved into the historic Orchard area of the park, which holds the majority of the Lord & Schryver flowering tree collection. The area also holds…

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Tree Root Invigoration

The arboriculture company Bartlett’s Tree Experts was in Bush’s Pasture Park on Tuesday, May 10th, on several projects to help extend the life park’s trees. One of those projects was…

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It’s a Jungle Out There

Salem’s cool wet spring has led to show-stopping blooms and verdant growth, including the weeds. This Tuesday, MSPC’s Tuesday Gardeners tackled the weeds that were challenging the roses in the…

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Tree Props

If you look carefully, you may notice some subtle changes to a few of the park’s trees. These are tree props, which as you may guess prop up trees, that…

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White flowers

New Plants for the Park

Fall marks planting season in the Willamette Valley. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, MSPC was able to purchase and contribute 5 young Oregon white oaks (Quercus garryana) to…

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MSPC Hires Garden Manager

After an unsuccessful recruitment effort to fill the new Garden Manager position, the Board invited former MSPC president Michael Slater to step into the 1-day a week role. Michael led…

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Storm damaged tree

Ice Storm Assessment

The park’s tree collection suffered some significant damage from the ice storm of February 13. While City staff focused on making the upper and lower oak groves safe and accessible,…

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Do Trees Talk?

Do trees talk? Trees do not seem to “talk” as we know it, by sending specific sound waves into the air.  But scientists are convinced that trees communicate through a…

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What a Year!

What a crazy year! Now I know 2020 is not over yet, but for me, I began my first year as Volunteer Coordinator for Mission Streets Parks Conservancy (MSPC) in…

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Leadership Change at MSPC

Michael Slater stepped down as MSPC president on March 31st. The board elected Christine Chute as the new president. Michael served as MSPC’s first president and managed the Conservancy’s day-to-day…

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2019 Proposed Tree Removals

Mission Street Parks Conservancy and the City of Salem reviewed the Bush Pasture Park tree collection this summer. We identified 12 trees for removal. These trees fit one of several…

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Group of smiling people holding scissors cut ribbon at the Ravine public opening

Ravine Public Opening

We celebrated the Ravine public opening today when MSPC volunteers, members, and guests gathered to cut the ribbon and take down the orange fencing that surrounded the project. MSPC’s events…

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Camas in bloom at Bush's Pasture Park

Camas in Bloom

The camas fields at Bush’s Pasture Park are now in bloom in the lower oak grove. These fields were managed before 1850 by the Kalapuya people who harvested the bulbs.…

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Camellia japonica in bloom at Bush's Pasture Park

Camellia Japonica in Bloom

The park’s extensive collection of Camellia japonica cultivars are in full bloom. These shrubs were likely planted by the landscape architect team of Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. Edith was…

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Tying Climbing Roses

We have several dozen odd, helical iron posts at Bush’s Pasture Park that hold climbing roses. The posts date from the early 1960’s. Each year, each rose has to be…

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The Diversity Tree

Recently, one of our Facebook Friends asked “Why is an apple tree at Bush Park called the Diversity Tree?” Turns out there are two Diversity Trees— planted in 1981 and…

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35th Annual Spring Plant Sale

The sale includes a wide selection of choice plants, including organically grown vegetable starts and unusual perennials. Coffee and pastries available, too! Salem’s Riverfront Pavilion and North Meadow Friday, April…

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Mission Street Parks Conservancy Volunteer Field Trip Northwest Garden Nursery

March Field Trip

Several Tuesday Gardeners visited Northwest Garden Nursery, west of Eugene, to see their beautiful display gardens and to purchase their hellebores, which are prized worldwide. We wandered the paths through…

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Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas), a small deciduous tree native to Europe and Asia, is one of the first to bloom in January with bright yellow pom-pom flowers lasting into…

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Tom Beatty’s Birthday

The FOBG volunteers celebrated Tom Beatty’s birthday at the Conservatory with carrot cake and brownies, and a stack of birthday cards. Tom has been Bush Park’s Horticulturist for 18 years,…

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