We’re different…really!
We think we’re a different animal (and we mean that positively!) in the tropical and hardy tropical plant and palm business. If you visit, we’re pretty sure you’ll believe it, too.
What you’ll find at Raintree Tropical is a lush plant-scape in two large greenhouses filled with a plethora of mature plants mixed with smaller versions of the same; the occasional heady aroma of blooming ginger, eye-catching orchids and bromeliads, and a large selection of indoor and outdoor palms, many of which are suitable for both environments.
Hundreds of palms grow on our property in-ground and in pots. Our palm offerings number at least 20 varieties over our extensive cultivating acreage. Palm sizes range from knee-high to one-story.
While tropical-looking, a large number of our palm and plant offerings are hardy enough to survive temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit and will do well in zone 8 climates.
We operate with a small staff, so please allow the time to wander through our wonders at a leisurely pace until we can give you our full attention. Our manager, Steve, is happy to answer questions and share his extensive knowledge.
If you enjoy exotic plants, we think you’ll enjoy us!!
The Raintree Tropical Story
TIM PETERS
As often occurs, childhood experiences influence adult behavior. That’s what happened in the case of Silverton resident Tim Peters, founder and co-owner of Raintree Tropical with his wife, Sarah. Growing up in Taiwan where his father served as a missionary, Tim was captivated at an early age by the verdant, lush and colorful landscape that in his formative years grew to feel like home.
In 2004, Tim launched Raintree Tropical to bring that touch of the tropics to the Northwest. While he tends to his own tropical garden at home, his desire to share his passion for these soul-nurturing plants was the motivating force behind Raintree Tropical. It also required entrepreneurial insight, creative flair and more than a little “zonal denial.”
Tim & Sarah’s children, Matthew and Rachel, also lend a hand at the nursery when their busy schedules allow.
STEVE LINN
Silverton resident Steve Linn is Raintree Tropical’s manager and the person you’ll most likely find on site; he’s been with the business since its beginning. Steve’s extensive plant knowledge started in childhood – his mother was an accomplished gardener at their home the suburbs of Los Angeles, where Steve helped her with projects. “I guess it rubbed off,” he says.
In college Steve studied Philosophy, later studying Zen Buddhism in San Francisco. In SF, he turned to landscape gardening, where he was employed in that capacity by the wife of renowned American landscape architect, Thomas Church, and by Jean Wolfe, a garden designer in SF of the same generation as the Church’s. Both women helped launch his landscaping profession.
In the 1990s, Steve moved to Seattle where he continued to garden. In 2004 he followed Kate to Silverton, where he met Tim Peters. Here, in Raintree Tropical, Steve helped Tim bring his vision of a tropical nursery to fruition.
In Steve’s words, “Introducing people to plants and helping them achieve their dreams in the garden is a major joy.”