Susi, I'm from North Vancouver, B.C. (looked up the web for some sites..I have visisted many in Washington, USA...go to the .....Washington State Nurseries, Northwest lots of info....good luck..Ramblin' Rose

I just did that in reverse...took the ferry from Victoria (In Victoria, if you go there, don't miss Butchart Gardens, Horticulture Center of the Pacific & Govenment House Gardens) to Port Angeles, then drove down the coast to San Jose. I'm mainly interested in roses, so my stops were Heirloom Roses in St Paul Oregon (gorgeous display garden), then Vinatge Roses in Sebastopol, CA (didn't have time for Heritage Rose nearby), then Korbel Winery's garden, then San Jose Heritage Rose Gardens, then Gamble House in Palo Alto & Regan's Nursery in Fremont. Have fun!
Toni

Hi!
I live in Vancouver and I would have to recommend that you go to Butchart gardens (on Vancouver Island--a bit our of your way but DEFINITELY worth the trip), the Nitobe Japanese garens at the University of British Columbia (my school!), the Botanical Gardens, also at the University of British Columbia, Minter Gardens, the Queen Elizabeth Arboretum & Conservatory (in vancouver), and....
if you go a little ways out into the suburbs you can see all sorts of huge commercial nursery operations (really quite impressive!).
Yay! Vancouver!
Have a fun trip and keep us updated :-)
catalina

If you stop in San Jose, don't pass up the grounds of the Egyptian Museum
http://www.rosicrucian.org/mus-plan/0-museum.html
very near the Rose Garden.

40 miles south of Portland is the new Oregon Garden
(haven't been there yet, but the photos in the newspaper article about the Grand Opening looked wonderful!)
http://www.oregongarden.org/

Portland has a wonderful rose test garden
http://www.parks.ci.portland.or.us/Parks/RoseGardens.htm

A few miles north of Portland, across the border into Washington is Collector's Nursery
http://collectorsnursery.com/
Friendly owners, unusual plants (specializing in dwarf conifers and shrubs) and a great display garden.

In Tacoma, you might want to stop at Point Defiance Park.
http://www.tacomaparks.com/ Click on 'gardens'
They have a garden divided into several areas
including herbs, natives, roses, Japanese and a dahlia test garden. There is also a five mile drive through the forest, with wonderful views of water, islands, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Tacoma also has one of the three west coast (others San Diego and San Francisco) Victorian-style
glass conservatory. Was just there yesterday - always a new display.

East of Seattle in the city of Bellevue is a public garden noted for its perennial borders.
http://www.bellevuebotanical.com/

And there is always Heronswood - perhaps the most famous Northwest Nursery.
http://www.heronswood.com/

Don't forget Van Dusen Gardens in Vancoeuver.
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks&gardens/vandusen/default.shtml

But Buchart is still my favorite! It is a DON'T MISS!!!!!!!!
http://www.butchartgardens.com/

Have fun!

Just remembered -

Very close to the Pacific Coast Highway and the Irvine Shopping Center is Roger's Garden/Nursery
http://www.buy-christmas.com/infopages/aboutrogers.htm
If you ever have watched the tv show _The Victory Garden_, Roger's is the Victory Garden West.
When I used to visit my mom in Laguna, I always begged to go to Roger's, just to look around.

Very near Roger's is Sherman Gardens. I love this place! And you'll find some tropicals.
http://www.rth.org/sherman/ for a photo tour.
http://www.stockteam.com/sherman.html

Also nearby is the Descanso Gardens - I haven't been there but it's supposed to be great.
http://www.descanso.com/index.cfm

I agree with just about all of the recommendations above except for Butchart Gardens, which I have found to be a rather passé Victorian planting-out scheme--a horticultural dinosaur of sorts. Of course, if you like lots of gaudy colors. . . . Besides, at the end of September, it may not be in its prime.

Coastal gardens that are a must see include the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg, CA (a glorious place, which even has a good restaurant), Shore Acres, a former estate about 13 miles south of Coos Bay, OR; Darlingtonia Wayside near Florence, OR (a natural bog where California pitcher plants thrive in their native habitat); Kubota Garden in Seattle, WA; and Ohme Gardens in Wenatchee, WA (the latter is well worth a quick jaunt across the Cascade Mountains). I would also be sure to stop at the Classical Chinese Gardens in Portland, Or, and in Vancouver, BC (both of them truly splendid in their own way). So many great gardens--so little time. . . .

Butchart Gardens is definitely a go see. If you are traveling on 101 stop in to see Rons Nursery in Arroyo Grande. It is lovely and has many nice things besides flowers. Have a good trip

If you cut over at Florence to Eugene there are several superb specialty nurseries with gorgeous gardens- gossler farms, greer gardens and Northwest perennial gardens, and the Vancouver Washington area is another hotbed of specialty nurseries. I frequently drive up 5 from sacramento to vancouver and start my way back, buying as I go, stopping at collectors, forest farm, siskiyou, etc arriving home with a tercel packed to the brim with plants. I havent had any trouble at the border with them letting my plants in , but to be safe I dont buy ornamental varieties of species that are crops in california- like purple leaf grape, golden hop, that sort of thing. The Oregon hardy plant society is having their annual fall sale the second weekend in Sept, it is well worth a stop in Hillsborough(sp?)

Along the coastline if your passing through Santa Cruz don't forget to see the UC botanical gardens in Santa Cruz, the largest/bestest collection of so african, austrialian and native california mediterranean varieties. They specialize in exotic proteas, grevilleas, banksias, leucandendrons very beautiful plants in terms of folliage and flowers.

noel

Berkeley UC botanical gardens is also amazing with many zones around the world encompassing desert, asian, mediterranean, tropical, rose, so african, latin america and california landscapes....quite extensive - bring your best walking shoes lots of ups and downs....beautiful mature plants.

In Portland, Oregon there is also a Japanese garden near the rose test garden in 'Forest Park'. All of this is located in N.W. Portland