Leach Botanical Garden
Coniferous Woods section of Leach Botanical Garden, 2008
Leach Botanical Garden is located in Portland, Oregon
Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden is located in Oregon
Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden is located in the United States
Leach Botanical Garden
Leach Botanical Garden
TypeBotanical garden
LocationPortland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45°28′27″N 122°32′03″W / 45.474069°N 122.534061°W / 45.474069; -122.534061
Area16-acre (6.5 ha)[1]
Opened1931
Websiteleachgarden.org

Leach Botanical Garden is a 16-acre (6.5 ha) botanical garden located in outer southeast Portland, Oregon,[2] near S.E. 122nd Avenue and Foster Road.[3] It was acquired by the Portland Parks Bureau in 1972.[3]

History

The garden was established in 1931 as landscaping for the private home of botanist Lilla Leach[4] and pharmacist John Leach, and subsequently donated to the city. The garden was originally named Sleepy Hollow. The Leaches built their cottage-style manor house on the property in 1936. They lived in a stone cottage near Johnson Creek during the summer before the house was completed.[5]

Lilla Leach was the first recipient of the Eloise Payne Luquer Medal, awarded by the Garden Club of America in 1950, for distinguished achievement in botany. From 1945 until 1948, she was director of Save the Myrtle Wood, Inc.[6]

Following the Leaches' deaths, the garden was left to the City of Portland with the stipulation that the city had ten years to take over maintenance of the garden, or the land would go to the YMCA.[5]

Work on a 5-acre (2.0 ha) expansion began in 2018 and was completed in 2021, increasing the garden's size to 16 acres (6.5 ha).[1]

The Gardens

The garden currently features a diverse collection of over 2,000 hybrids, cultivars, native and non-native plants, including alpines, medicinal herbs, rock garden plants, camellias, and 40 genera and over 125 species of ferns. Many are labeled. The property is divided by Johnson Creek[2] and most of the land is on an incline. A self-guided tour winds along trails with views of firs, ferns, and wildflowers. As of 2010, the garden's director was David Porter.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Vondersmith, Jason (March 23, 2021). "Spring welcomes Leach Botanical Garden's growth". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Pokorny, Kym (October 9, 2010). "Meet new director of Leach Botanical Garden". The Oregonian. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 Hewitt, Lyndsey (December 7, 2017). "'Secret garden' about to get upgrades". Portland Tribune. pp. A6–A7. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ Lilla Leach (1886–1980), Oregon Encyclopedia
  5. 1 2 Olson, Donald (2014). The Pacific Northwest Garden Tour. Timber Press, Inc. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-1-60469-451-2.
  6. ↑ Guide to the Lilla Leach Papers at the University of Oregon
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