High Desert Horticultural Center, WinterCreek Nursery

Our mission is to inspire ecological integrity and improve sustainability of urban landscapes by increasing the understanding of native vegetation in created landscapes.

Our goal is to establish a community-centered, ecosystem-based educational and research facility serving central Oregon and the greater High Desert region.

Our vision is to provide a space for exploration, learning, research, and training in ecological theory, botany, and applied science in conservation and native plant landscape design & construction.

Our Values: Inclusion - Equity - Knowledge - Education - Respect - Safety - Opportunity - Survival

For the past thirty-two years our founder, Rick Martinson, owned and operated WinterCreek Restoration and Nursery with the long-term goal of advancing the use of native vegetation and reducing resource dependency in urban landscapes. 

For the past two decades we’ve worked closely with the City of Bend, the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, and Oregon State University to facilitate change in statute, development code, and curriculum to increase the sustainability of urban landscapes through education and example. Many of our own projects have received national and local recognition for their efficiency, beauty, and ecological function. That history, the need for information and plant material for public and private development, and the critical need for a knowledgeable workforce inspired us to develop the High Desert Horticultural Center.

The High Desert Horticultural Center (HDHC) was created to provide understanding and research for resource conservation and provide opportunities for the public, industry professionals and future restoration practitioners to increase their knowledge of native plants and the benefits associated with their use. HDHC focuses on four key issues: biodiversity, pollinator habitat, resource conservation and the human environment and will address these issues through education, research, workforce development, nursery production and botanical and demonstration gardens.