The Fink Family Farm Arboretum

I know starting a fourth blog is ridiculous. But I need a place to store my photos and questions and answers about the trees in my arboretum. For those just entering the Fink Family Farm world, I began planting trees on two acres of our farm back in the winter of 1998/99. The purpose at that time was to screen the neighbor's new house from my view. Now this may seem a mite ridiculous considering that their new log home is lovely and  about half a mile from ours. However, I like to look out over our pastures and woods without seeing any sign of civilization except our own. The hills behind (west of) us are owned by logging companies and periodically are clearcut in patches but quickly reforested. Trees grow well in western Oregon. We have good neighbors to the north, south and east who also like privacy. None of their buildings are visible from our property. I don't believe any of them can see anyone else's buildings either. We all like it that way.

The ponderosas today across the fence from one of our llamas.

 I have always loved trees (and Johnny is a forester) and so gradually, after we planted several hundred Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pines, I began buying and planting other trees. Sequoias came next. They love it here and are huge. Well, for their age. But I wanted trees from other places, too, so I came up with the idea of having different regions of the world represented in my little two acre arboretum, with paths wide enough for me to ride my horses through, which I do. The main path is wide enough to drive my surrey through, which I also have done.

One now enters with Japan on the left (south) and Australia beyond that (west). The Middle East/Subcontinent is on the right with a Pakistan Mulberry, not yet producing, and a Deodar Cedar along with a few others. China is on the left (south) west of Australia (strange geography in my arboretum). Most of the right (north) side of the arboretum is home to plants that are native to the western U.S.: sequoia, redwood, modoc cypress, sugar pine, yew, hemlock, red cedar and incense cedar, among others.

On the left (south) side of the arboretum are most of the trees I am concerned may be mislabeled. They reside in Eastern North America and Europe, primarily. There is also a Fruit and Nut section, an Orphanage (for trees others did not want and gave to me), and the Rocky Mountains.

2017 update: I seldom ride my horse anymore, but the grandkids love driving our electric EZ Go carts through the arboretum paths. The Orphanage is now the International Garden... And there is a Color Garden for trees and shrubs that bloom but are not necessarily native anywhere that I can figure out. Each region now has a sign that Johnny made. I'll do another blog post sometime with photos of the signs.

Meanwhile, here are photos of some arboretum colors in October 2019.