With Green Afternoons in hand, travelers, gardeners, and plant enthusiasts now have an exciting new guide to more than six dozen gardens throughout western and central Oregon and southwestern Washington. In her tour of the region, Amy Houchen uses the word garden broadly to include not only traditional gardens but also plantings of interest in such places as parks, college campuses, farms, and community gardens. Along with providing detailed descriptions of Oregon's best-known and best-loved gardens, Green Afternoons introduces readers to such unlikely but rewarding spots as an arboretum at a freeway rest area and climbing roses dressing up the cyclone fence around a ballfield. Indexes by plant name and topic allow for ease in locating plant specialties and such features as gardens for the blind and composting exhibits. Also included is information on holding weddings and listings of special events.