Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan by Mara Stine

Darlingtonia

A Magical Transformation: Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan January 2016

Acknowledgements

This Development Plan was created with the effort of many people. Thanks to everyone for a great job and a plan that will inspire a beautiful garden for future generations.

Design Team

Land Morphology, Richard Hartlage, Sandy Fischer and Lindsey Heller - design team lead Olson Kundig Architects, Kevin Kudo-King, Misun Chung Gerrick - architecture Winterbrook Planning, Tim Brooks - land use & permitting Lancaster Engineering, Michael Ard - traffic engineering Suenn Ho - graphic designer GreenWorks, Mike Faha - green infrastructure Capital Engineering and Consulting, Janet Spriggs - civil engineering Hodaie Engineering, Saifan Hodaie - mechanical engineering Mitali and Associates, Mitali Kulkarni - cost estimating

Portland Parks and Recreation

Ross Swanson, project manager Janet Bebb, Creative Project Management, consultant for PP&R Lauren McGuire, Capital Projects Team Manager Kia Selley, Asset & Development Manager Mike Abbate, Director

Portland Development Commission Carol Herzberg, Sr. Project Manager

City of Portland

Charlie Hales, Mayor Amanda Fritz, Commissioner for Parks

Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Leach Garden Friends

David Porter, Executive Director Board Members: Nana Bellerud, Jim Berry, Thomas Bland, Irene Bowers, Mary LK Davis, Gay Greger, Michael McKeel, Amy Miller-Dowell, Linda Morrow, President Staff: James Draznin, development director, Ashley Evans, volunteer coordinator, Scott Hoelscher, head gardener, Janice Jenkins, education coordinator, Kathleen Kennedy, caretaker and rental representative, Nadia Ly, event manager, Courtney Vengarick, gardener and curator, Virginia Staubach, executive assistant, operations, Vanessa McMillin, sales and events coordinator Working Group: Irene Bowers, Gay Greger, Amy MillerDowell, Linda Morrow, and David Porter Collections Committee: David Goulder, Scott Hoelscher, Linda Morrow, Martin Nicholson, Fred Nilsen, Jim Sjulin, Courtney Vengarick, Bass Wagner

Project Advisory Committee

Nana Bellerud, Tom Bland, Irene Bowers, Erik Carr, Kristin Calhoun, Gay Greger, Bob Hyland, Linda Morrow, Holly Moss, David Porter, Dale Shetler, Jim Berry, Amy Miller Dowell, Gladys Ruiz, and Asmir Trnjanin

Cultural Ambassadors

The NICE (Northwest Institute for Community Enrichment), Lola Aminova, Adilene Amaro-Zurita, Tung Lu

A Magical Transformation: Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan January 2016

Portland Parks & Recreation

iii

Leach Botanical Garden is located just south of Foster Road at 6704 SE 122nd Avenue in Portland, OR. It sits at the gateway to East Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buttes, near several other natural areas, and only a few blocks from the Springwater Corridor Bike/Pedestrian trail.

iv Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Contents Acknowledgements ��ii Partner’s Message �� 1 Our Inspiration ��3 Creating the Garden �� 5

Introduction ��7 Beginning the Transformation �� 9

Pivotal decision - design team selection �� 9

The Landscape Framework ��11 Site Organization ��11 Arrival Sequence �� 13 Connections �� 13 Upper Garden Centerpiece: Pollinator Garden and Tree Walk �� 13 Landscape Typologies ��14 Collections ��16 Display/Demonstration Gardens �� 17 Gathering places �� 20 Special Features ��22 Wayfinding/interpretive signage ��23

Architecture ��25

The Experience ��25 Building materials and structures �� 28 Sustainability �� 29 Future/Phasing �� 29

Communications Approach �� 31 Getting the Word Out �� 31 What did we learn? ��33 Decision-making Process ��35

Evolution of the Plan ��37 Developing a Strong Start �� 41

Vision ��41 Phasing Matrix ��41

Upper Garden Development Plan illustration ... �� 44

Portland Parks & Recreation

vi Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Partner’s Message How do you make a magical place, one that engages, inspires and transforms; a place that jolts you into seeing the world in a different way; one that leaves you transformed, and yearning to return? Certainly there are standard practices – have a concept, do a design, secure funding and build. Does this process however, ensure a truly remarkable place that embodies the inspiration of great beauty, the joy of unexpected discoveries and the serenity that comes from awareness of the moment? In this report we take a leap and conjecture that the ingredients of a truly special place at Leach Botanical Garden are here. At the time of this writing, Leach Garden is indeed a wonderful place often described as a secret – sleepy and undiscovered. Garden and community leaders are confident that it can and should be more – more visible, more exciting, an engaging and magical place adding to the diversity and richness of SE Portland and a destination for the region and country. Building on the garden that John and Lilla Leach developed from the 1930s – 60s, a dedicated group of people have worked hard to bring a strong vision through the design phase. You’ll read about them in the following pages – discussions, issues, dreams. If creating a wonderful place needs strong hearts and minds of those involved, then this effort meets the test. In addition to a dedicated community, certainly one ingredient must be the magic of creativity. At each step in this process the design team led by Land Morphology with Olson Kundig Architects went from our conversations back to the drawing boards and emerged with original, perceptive concepts and wonderful drawings. Never satisfied until the gardens and buildings began to sing, the team considered and reconsidered at each point.

GARDE

EXISTIN

• Manag & Ecolo

• Historic

• Plants Ferns &

So time will tell. Do we have the beginnings of a place that will grow over time and be extraordinary? We think so.

• Shade • Upper • Lower

Partners

STRATE

Leach Garden Friends Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Development Commission

• Add Ne

• Add Di

• Preserv Chihuly Garden & Glass

Portland Parks & Recreation

Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Our Inspiration John & Lilla Leach In 1972 at the close of Lilla’s long career as a botanist, John Leach arranged for the charitable donation of their house and garden. The property was assigned to the City of Portland in 1973 with conditions fulfilled in 1981 that the property will be used and maintained as a botanical park and museum for the benefit of the public. The following description of John and Lilla Leach is from the 1982 Master Plan Report by Barbara Fealy and Marlene Salon. It’s included here in the spirit of remembering the inspiration of John and Lilla Leach. “I have always had a philosophy that if a community furnishes a person with the necessities of life, he owes that community some service and backing”. So wrote John R. Leach in an autobiographical memoir, and that statement reflects the contributions that John and Lillia Leach made to their community and to the field of botany during their lifetimes. John Leach was the epitome of the civic leader along Foster Road in Southeast Portland, where for many years he had his pharmacy. Lilla Irvin Leach was a much-honored botanist who, on travels with John into remote, mountainous regions of Oregon, discovered approximately 15 plants previously unknown to science including two new genera. For about 40 years, the Leaches made their home on 4 ½ acres along Johnson Creek, near SE 122nd Avenue and Foster Road – the cherished spot they called Sleepy Hollow. There they indulged in their great love of gardening, with the hillsides displaying thousands of varieties of plants and trees. Their home, with its winding trails, drew the attention of many horticultural publications. John R. Leach was born March 26, 1882, in the community of Weston, in Eastern Oregon, moving with his family to the Lexington area where he was raised on a farm. He was educated at the Tualatin Academy, in Forest Grove, where he met his future wife, and studied pharmacy at the then-Oregon Agricultural College, later to become Oregon State University. Lilla Irvin Leach was born in 1886 in the Aurora area, where her father had a farm. She studied botany at the University of Oregon, graduating in 1908. She then taught botany at Eugene High School for five years before marrying John on the family farm along the Pudding River on September 13, 1913. Of their courtship, John later wrote: “She became a teacher in botany

John & Lilla Leach

Portland Parks & Recreation

Our Inspiration and I a very lonesome drug clerk. I began to throw woos at her, but with no apparent effect. She just was not allergic. She never said ‘NO’ to me. She said ‘PHOOEY’. Until one evening I told her I was a mountain man, knew the ways of pack mules, could talk mule talk, see the mule’s viewpoint, reason like a mule, throw the diamond hitch, and could pack her back where the flowers were different and cakeeating botanists could never get…well, sir, do you know, right then and there, before I could brace myself or call back the words that had been spoken, she fell on my neck so hard I’ve never recovered.”

John & Lilla on their wedding day: September 13, 1913

For nearly three decades, the Leaches ranged the West, especially the mountains of Oregon and Washington, as time from the drug store permitted, in search of botanical specimens. Often accompanied by their burros, Pansy and Violet, they worked their way along streams and, indeed went where “cake-eating botanists could never get.” It was a region much more wild and remote in those days, than it is today. Once, Mrs. Leach shot and killed a mountain lion they surprised on the trail. Their most remarkable discovery came in the spring of 1930 in the wilderness of the Siskiyou Mountains in Curry County:

Setting out with their burros, Pansy and Violet, in 1928

It had been a hard day, hot and sunny, and the trail was steep, through rugged country,” Mrs. Leach remembered years later. “We were following along a bare hogback through a flowerless, uninviting section of the trail. I suppose there must have been a little depression in the hogback, a sort of saddle for moisture to gather in and soil to accumulate, for suddenly we came upon a breath-taking sight. Before us, beside the trail, lay a patch of low evergreen bushlets, simply covered with deep rose flowers, vividly pink in the sunshine. Thrilled? We were! I felt sure I had found something new.” She had, indeed, found something new. The plant, which the Leaches later found in other locations of the Siskiyous, was identified by botanists as a previously unknown genus and given the name Kalmiopsis leachiana (the species name, of course, being the Latinized form of its discoverers’ name). This Kalmiopsis, believed to date from the Tertiary Period which ended 10 million years ago, is found in no other location but the Siskiyous. The plant was the inspiration for naming the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area.

Kalmiopsis leachiana

The Leaches ended their active exploration with the outbreak of World War II, focusing their attention on their garden at Sleepy Hollow. But those explorations, which included nine trips into the Siskiyous, produced many finds in addition to the Kalmiopsis.

Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Our Inspiration The other genus discovered by Mrs. Leach was Bensonia oregana, a rare saxifrage, found June 6, 1928, at Bear Camp, about 35 miles west of Grants Pass. Of more horticultural interest, however, is one of the five species found by Mrs. Leach, a wild iris call Iris innominata – “iris the unknown.” Best known in its golden yellow form, it has been introduced into gardens and has won various horticultural awards. Mrs. Leach, herself, received many awards for her achievements, and was the first person to receive the Eloise Payne Luquer medal for distinguished achievement in botany from the Garden Club of America. In addition to his botanical wanderings, John Leach was a true “civic leader”….A hearty, outgoing man—known as a spinner of tall tales, among other things – he was a familiar figure to area residents. Among his contributions, Leach was a founder and first president of the Southeast Portland Chamber of Commerce, a founder of the Junior Rose Festival, a promoter of the Ross Island Bridge, instrumental in paving Foster Road, and a member of the Multnomah County Welfare Board.

Triteleia hendersonii v. leachiae

Triteleia Hendsonii var. leachiae

Iris innominata

John Leach died April 5, 1972, at Sleepy Hollow at age 90. Lilla Leach died September 10, 1980, at a Lake Oswego nursing home at age 94. They left to their community, not only their home, but a lasting legacy of discovery and contribution.

Creating the Garden The landscaping of Sleepy Hollow was designed by Wilbert Davies, a landscape architect student John and Lilla had helped through college. When landscaping began, Pansy was brought to the property and stabled in the stone shed located on the south boundary line. The burro pulled the scraper to prepared the ground on the south side of the stream. The stone cabin, with a slate roof, was constructed first. When finished it was used for shelter and as a weekend cabin until the Manor House was completed in 1936. The elaborate gardens at Sleepy Hollow included a mile of trails along which most of the thousand species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants were labeled. A medicinal plant garden was created on the north border. When completed, it contained 420 herbs and medicinal plants. The Leaches were sent seedlings and plants to try out at Sleepy Hollow, in the moderate climate provided by the protective hills and gentle Willamette Valley rains. Most of these experimental trials were made in the area presently occupied by the rock garden.

Manor House

Stone cabin

Portland Parks & Recreation

Our Inspiration The original Leach property is shown here (in red) as it came to the City in 1973. The Garden has grown incrementally from the original 4.5 acres to its current size of 17 acres. The latest acquisition in 2015 was the impetus for this Development Plan.

ď&#x192;Ą To SE Foster Rd.

Families exploring Leach Garden today

2015

SE Claybourne Street

1 SE

e Av

2010

1986 1984

1999

122

1973 Ave n

1973

1999 1973

1999 Joh

1985

nso

n Cr

eek

1973

East Terrace and Carriage House

Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Introduction Leach Botanical Garden is poised to become one of the important public gardens and community gathering places in the region. Portland’s Chinese and Japanese Gardens honor culture and nature; Leach Botanical Garden will celebrate plants, ecology and environmental stewardship, the legacy of founders John and Lilla Leach. In the past botanical gardens have been specialized places with a strong focus on collections and academic research. “Today, people are coming more and more to public gardens which nationally average an annual 75 million visitors” according to Abby Spenser, director of marketing and outreach for the American Public Gardens Association. The inclusion of art and science exhibits along with horticulture collections is proving to be an exciting combination to visitors, transforming botanical gardens into important cultural centers. The heightened awareness and importance of ecology and environmental stewardship is drawing a younger crowd, 20 – 48 year olds, which is critical to the continued growth of gardens as well as to their mission of education and conservation.

The inclusion of art and science exhibits along with horticulture collections is proving to be an exciting combination to visitors, transforming botanical gardens into important cultural centers.

The design team, working with the Leach Garden Friends (LGF) and Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) has created an innovative and programmatically dynamic development plan. The plan exemplifies the design excellence demonstrated in all of PP&R’s projects. The Garden is intended to become a significant cultural institution for the SE community and the Portland Metro region. Portland is a desirable destination and has a strong base of tourism; Leach Garden will be a compelling asset to the neighborhood, city, region and state. Strong design elements proposed by Land Morphology will delight and inspire visitors while communicating deeper messages about the connections between plants and people. Features include alpine walls, a 21st century physic garden where paths are shaped like strands of DNA, an immersive and color rich pollinator and habitat garden, an aerial tree walk, accessible to all and elevated thirty feet above the ground into the canopy of the native forest, exemplary horticulture displays, and gardens that demonstrate responsible use of water, and the rich, fragile ecosystems of bogs and fens. Olson Kundig, architects, developed designs for a series of buildings that are light on the landscape. The buildings are wrapped in a lath structure, reminiscent of a gardener’s lath house, that create an inter-play of light, connect to the landscape and gardens, and provide opportunities for shaded gardens on the roof.

An article entitled “Education by Stealth” describes how the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh “seeks to communicate with people who are not intentionally involved in any kind of formal study . . . including Garden visitors who did not come to learn.”

Portland Parks & Recreation

Introduction Building enthusiasm is key to the success of this project. Emphasis has been placed on creating a sustainable plan that engages the community, drawing on its rich diversity for programs and participation as well as fundraising. The plan is developed for incremental phasing (5 - 20 years) and manageable capital improvement costs that exemplify high standards in design. A capital campaign was recently launched to move forward with the first phase of construction.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; You change people with delight. You change people with pleasure.â&#x20AC;? Thomas Aquinas

Leach Botanical Garden has arrived at an exciting nexus. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to celebrate the past and embrace a bright and innovative vision of the future - a future that will establish the Garden as a vital cultural attraction in a historically underserved area of the city. Plants, ecology, art, environmental learning for all ages, and special events will make the Garden a dynamic place. The entrepreneurial spirit of the board and staff coupled with public and private investment will raise the profile of the Leach Garden. This development plan provides the vision and direction for growing the Garden into a worldclass public garden.

Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Beginning the Transformation Leach Garden Friends (LGF) have been courting a transformation of the Garden for many years. The 2010 master plan inspired a series of changes, a 2011 business plan identified new audiences and revenues, and a 2012 concept design plan set the stage for upper garden development - all planting the seeds of change for the Garden. An energized board and the Garden leadership headed toward change. In preparation for this Development Plan, LGF laid the groundwork for changes. In a power point presentation entitled “Garden Inspiration,” they shared their vision and broad direction for the Garden with a room full of designers considering a contract proposal and established LGF and PP&R as an intelligent and passionate client group, worthy of excellent work. Public partners have also been working toward change. In 2008, the Portland Development Commission (PDC) included the Garden within its Lents Urban Renewal Area boundaries and, in 2014, allocated $2,040,000 for Garden development. In 2015 Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) purchased a key property to support expansion plans, and later allocated $1,000,000 for construction of a first phase catalyst project. In addition to inspiration and great partners, the beginning of the transformation included the work of building objectives, schedules and partnerships. An intergovernmental agreement took shape between PP&R and PDC along with the specific scope of work. So the stage was set for transformation: a great site opportunity, partners moving together toward a common purpose and technical work of project setup.

Pivotal decision - design team selection It has been said that when the design team is selected for a project approximately 70% of the quality of the project has been determined. Certainly there are decisions, process, and input that are all important - but the basic passion, creativity and right-fit for the project must be there. For the development plan, securing the design team took time and focus and was very successful. A well-written request for proposals was thoroughly vetted by LGF and the partners. It was clear and articulate about the project background, goals and products. Outreach to professionals both locally and around the country with expertise in public gardens set the stage. The selection committee included PP&R, PDC, LGF as well

“We want people to experience a level of excellence comparable to visiting Portland’s Japanese Garden or Lan Su, the Classical Chinese Garden.” Leach Botanical Garden Board of Directors

Portland Parks & Recreation

Beginning the Transformation as community leaders who were passionate about sophisticated design for Portland. The project expectations were indicated by the “project excellence” section for design teams seeking the contract. Proposers should ensure that their project team possesses the experience and expertise to address the following project characteristics: • Design Excellence – Leach Botanical Garden's beauty and special character derive from site assets including varied topography, a salmon-bearing creek, historic buildings, and a vigorous forest canopy. The new Upper Garden design must offer superlative contemporary design that complements the entire garden and integrate both art and water design into a rich visitor experience. On a broad scale, the project should impress; on a more intimate scale, the project should inspire with thoughtful details and creative consideration of materials. • Botanical Garden Expertise – Outstanding botanical collections, and the educational programs that depend upon them, are central to the mission of Leach Botanical Garden. During the schematic design development phase, PP&R and LGF seek specific expertise in designing, presentation and management of the botanical collections, with key consideration given to proposals that aspire to increase the Garden's number of visitors and financial sustainability.

“We are not just another park or greenspace. As a botanical garden, design components must be innovative and special.” Leach Botanical Garden Board of Directors

• Circulation for the Upper Garden – Key to the success of this project will be resolution of pedestrian and automobile circulation for the Upper Garden, and its integration with the entire site and structures. From the moment that visitors arrive, the experience of natural beauty must be present; as each new area of the Garden is explored, this experience should unfold and expand. Due to recent property acquisition just north of the site, proposers for this project must revisit previous assumptions that located visitor entrance and parking to the west. Also important to this project's internal circulation routes will be bus drop-off and turnaround, and potential street improvements to SE Claybourne Street. The selected team is led by Land Morphology. Their presentation was outstanding particularly in three areas. The team showed wonderful examples of public gardens with intelligent narrative. They demonstrated their knowledge of botanical garden operations and specifically about taking a small garden into a larger arena. Finally, they had reviewed the Garden site and took a chance on discussing some preliminary ideas, which were well received. 10 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework The framework for the design was initiated at the first meetings in March 2015. Land Morphology with Olson Kundig Architects introduced the idea of a transect as the organizing principle that related the natural and cultural landscapes each on their own axis. As Richard Hartlage explained “Have a structure and then let the garden flow from that structure.” The key design concepts, including use of water, artistic and creative display of plants, art and the aerial tree walk were all initiated at the first client meeting. The framework grew from there, based on design team response to discussions. By the end of September, after five visits to Portland and discussions with a host of people, the design team produced the gardens and architecture for the development plan. (See full plan fold-out on page 44.)

service

gardens + meadows forest historic garden

Site Organization

riparian zone

by Land Morphology, Richard Hartlage, Sandy Fischer

FRAMEWORK DIAGRAMS

buildings

gardens

collections

public

The overall Garden master plan is organized spatially and thematically to connect and celebrate the diversity of the entry site’s culture and ecology. The relationship of ecological transect, or line, with the cultural transect is the conceptual and spatial organizational framework. The new buildings and gathering spaces are organized along the east / west cultural transect. The collections and gardens are organized ecologically along the north/ south axis and culturally along the east/west axis. The garden experiCultural ence is designed to explore the intersection of culture FRAMEWORK DIAGRAMS and ecology and people’s relationship to plants.

parking

1. BUILDINGS

PRODUCITON & MAINTENANCE

Places and Stories

2. PEDESTRIAN PLACES 3. GARDENS

GROW

4. CONNECTIONS / TRANSECTS

DISPLAY PHYSICS ENTRY

FEN

EVENTS

ALPINE

EVENTS

TENT EVENT

PARKING

The transect is an organizing principle that draws strength from the stories that can be told. The north/ south transect has five levels starting with the riparian zone at Johnson Creek. The table on the next page describes the unique focus for each level. This, in turn, helps provide a framework for the interpretive narrative as visitors move through the Garden.

MEADOW

The Transects

Ecological

TREE GALLERY

HISTORIC LEACH COLLECTION

PACIFIC NW NATIVE COLLECTIONS

PARKING

Spatial Design Plan

Portland Parks & Recreation SITE DIAGRAM

The Landscape Framework

service

gardens + meadows forest historic garden riparian zone

FRAMEWORK DIAGRAMS

North/South Transect Descriptions

Transect Level

Theme/Focus

Riparian: Johnson Creek Preserve

Conservation of native habitat

Collections/Gardens - Stories to be Told What do you see there? Native riparian and Water and forest ecology watershed health; salmon

Historic Garden: Preservation of Sleepy Hollow Retreat cultural assets

Historic collections Manor House

Forest: Hillside Gallery

Forest floor, canopy and forest edge ecology

Restoration of forest and collections. Planned succession

Gardens & Meadows: Education and Display Gardens & exploration, Discovery Center environmental stewardship community Service: Production & Cultivation

Experimentation, exploration, and demonstration of best practices

12 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Leach history and values

New perspectives, art past and present, stewardship, concept of ecoservices Water: Fen/pond/bog Leach values brought Alpine, Physic, forward, global Pollinator, Moss, Dry, issues such as water, Chroma, and plant migration, & Children's Garden plant/people interdependencies Propagation Best practices/plant habitat, resource management, composting, water, soil, etc.

The Landscape Framework

Arrival Sequence Near term, visitors will arrive at the existing parking lot and walk to the Manor House and the lower historic garden, climbing stone stairs and traversing the forested hillside on a pathway through native plants. In the future, an upper garden entrance will be developed off SE 122 Avenue where guests will arrive through the grove of Douglas Fir trees and an expanded collection of southeastern United States native plants. They will be greeted by an entrance garden with iconic contemporary structured trellises for plants, establishing that visitors have entered a special place. They will encounter artful features along pathways and narrow roadways as they approach the new Welcome Center and Courtyard.

Connections Pathways connect gardens, collections and gathering places. Travel through the site will be journeys of discovery where themes may include the interdependence of ecology and culture, transformation and change, and individual as well as planetary health. John and Lilla Leachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core values, including environmental stewardship, will be embedded in the stories and places. An informal, yet more structured system of accessible pathways is overlaid on the existing network of narrow and organic pathways. The new paths fit the site contours, organize the site and orient visitors with wayfinding elements at decision points. Many of the existing, informal paths will remain and continue to encourage discovery and wandering. Upper Garden Centerpiece: Pollinator Garden and Tree Walk

Upper Garden Centerpiece: Pollinator Garden and Tree Walk

The centerpiece of the Upper Garden is a pollinator meadow and gathering green framed by a series of display gardens, the forest edge, garden paths and exquisite architecture. Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework The buildings include a welcome center, offices and an event center, connected by a boardwalk and overlooking the green and gardens. The architecture is embedded in gardens with walkways and courtyards that greet visitors and overlook the pollinator meadow. The gathering green will bring the community together for celebrations, performances and educational events.

The Pollinator Meadow is framed by the Welcome Center to the north and the fireplace terrace and aerial tree walk to the south.

From the beginning of the project there has been a sense that something exciting and different is needed to bring people to the garden. The design team proposed a tree walk early in the process and people were clearly intrigued. The tree walk is a curvilinear “necklace” that takes its point of departure from the Upper Garden pollinator meadow and gracefully weaves through the forest canopy. Visible but not dominating, the tree walk makes an ethereal connection between the upper and lower garden.

Landscape Typologies The development plan includes several landscape typologies and features with a focus on Pacific Northwest collections and gardens. The six typologies include: Aerial tree walk concept

1. Collections Collections are larger, less formal and located in a park-like or arboretum setting. The focus of the collections will be global with an emphasis on Pacific NW and Southeastern United States. The latter two are geographies of interest to the founders. Plant collections fall into four primary categories: native, exotic, display and themed. The native plant collections will focus on The Cascades and Siskiyou Mountain flora where John and Lilla Leach spent many years collecting. Other native plant themes will include meadow, savanna, coniferous woodland, fen and perimeter plants. The exotic collections will focus on Southeastern United States, European alpine flora, Asia and Mediterranean regions. Plants for the themed and display gardens will respond to the educational and display nature of the associated gardens.

2. Display or demonstration gardens

Highly designed and cultivated, these gardens are smaller and themed, and they will be located near the buildings and central circulation spines. Think of them as “galleries”. The spaces are defined by edges of buildings, hedges, pathways, fencing and walls 14 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework and in some instances introduced features such as arbors, trellises and landforms. The 12 gardens are focused on themes and plants of interest to the founders and current visitors. They are further described on the following pages, with brief narrative and images to convey their character. They are located based on soils, sun patterns, scale and storyline. Interpretive discovery paths are incorporated into the design.

3. Gathering places

The development plan incorporates several gathering spaces. These will include the buildings, building courtyards, primary and secondary terraces, event lawns, shelters and other places where groups can gather for events; celebratory, educational, or cultural. Most gardens have a gathering space incorporated in the form of a lawn or terrace. Some are sheltered and some are not. The plan locates but does not include detailed design of each element. Each place needs to be thoughtfully designed to support the institutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, vision, values and programs with environmental stewardship as a core value.

Arbors and trellises are planned throughout the garden.

4. Special features

The overall site plan includes many opportunities to incorporate special features that add interest and delight. These may include green roofs, container gardens, temporary or permanent displays of art or exhibits, interpretive loops highlighting themes, arbors, trellises, plant identification programs and playful elements such as tree houses, view platforms, stumperies (stumps and tree trunks surrounded by plants) and tunnels. These are described in greater detail in the descriptions of individual gardens and garden features.

5. Buffers, edges and general landscaping

These areas define the edges of the overall garden and, in places, separate uses. They have education potential if treated thoughtfully. They will showcase plants and provide people with ideas for home and commercial landscapes as well as streets and parking areas. Fencing will be integral and attractive. The intent is to design to the Portland Code while keeping the appropriate character in various areas of the site.

6. Garden and site infrastructure

Operating and maintaining the botanical garden requires infrastructure to support staff, horticulture, and programs. Site infrastructure includes utilities, parking and roads. Garden infrastructure refers to facilities needed to operate and maintain the Garden including greenhouses, composting facilities, materials storage facilities, irrigation, land, hoop houses and lath houses for growing plants.

Special features will add interest and delight.

Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework

Collections A. NW Cascadia Ecology Collection

The development plan will showcase the ecology of northwest Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and northern California as several distinct collections and model gardens. Native Riparian habitat and fern collections will be located along Johnson Creek. The historic and new collections on the hillside will include woodland hillside, forest canopy, edge, forest floor and moss garden. The natural topography, drainage patterns, pathways and the existing trees spatially define these areas.

B. The Southeast Collection

The Southeast collections will be highlighted on the west side of the Upper Garden and in the historic Sleepy Hollow where the collection currently exists. In the Upper Garden, the collection will include highly ornamental plantings greeting visitors as they arrive, park and make their way to the Gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pedestrian entrance. John and Lilla Leach had a strong interest in the flora of the southeast which is the most diverse in the United States. It is highly ornamental, giving visitors an engaging greeting of flowers, form, foliage and seasonal changes. Some of the larger areas will be less formal and park-like focusing on seasonal interest and color.

C. Historic Collections

The gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founders, Lilla and John Leach, are most recognized for collecting Alpine plants in the Siskiyou Mountains. The historic collections are located within Sleepy Hollow, near the Historic Manor House, on the slope above the Manor House and in the Woodland Garden. The remaining collections have been inventoried, curated and labeled. They include collections of Pacific NW natives, trilliums, iris, may apple, alpines and others. Long-term, the plan calls for relocating the Alpine collection to more appropriate sites. The forest has matured and is shading out the collections.

D. The World Collections

The world collections will be located on the easternmost parcel. These collections will show co-evolution, demonstrate genetic diversity and can connect culturally to the diverse ethnic groups living in Southeast Portland. We live in a global community now and the world collections will connect continents, ecologies, and people through plants. Asia did not glaciate and is one of the most diverse temperate floras in the world. The historic Leach collection included many flora from around the world, from the Atlas Cedar to Dawn Redwood and southeast Asian and Mediterranean plants. 16 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework

Display/Demonstration Gardens The gardens are listed in order as if you were arriving from the parking lot and walking around the Upper Garden.

A. Entrance Garden The entrance to the Upper Garden is proposed to be from SE Claybourne Street off of SE 122 Avenue. The Entrance Garden will greet visitors as they arrive and will include contemporary and colorful plantings that demonstrate how gardens can be artful. Visitors will experience beautiful and functional rain gardens that manage storm water. Special features encountered on the walk from the parking lot to the welcome courtyard will be mature specimen Douglas Fir Trees, maples, a steel and grass feature, sculpture and well-crafted seating/retaining walls and a rammed earth wall described on page 25.

B. Gardens adjacent to the buildings Visitors will arrive at the Welcome Center and will experience some special gardens. • Alpine Walls Alpine ecologies are some of the most fragile on the planet today and with the Leaches’ long interest in these plants this garden will express the heritage and gift of the founders as well as educate people on how climate change is affecting these little known but dynamic flora. The intention will be to grow these plants in ways that are modern and innovative and express how they would be seen in nature. The alpine courtyard will include angled walls of plants. As the angled walls meet the roof, they become roof garden displays. • Roof Gardens The roofs of the buildings are intended to be gardens and habitat for ground-nesting birds. This is an incredible opportunity to link the structures with the sustainability mission of the garden. The lath structure will create soft, dappled light on the roof garden. The gardens will serve to educate the public on types of green roofs and the diversity of plants and habitat that can be grown on structures using various soil, irrigation and insulating technologies. This is another unique and exciting feature that will showcase Leach Garden as an innovative and forward-looking garden. • Chroma Garden Bright colors and seasonal change will be the major theme of this garden. It will set the tone that the Leach Botanical Garden is

As they park and walk toward the entrance, visitors will pass by a beautiful and functional rain garden.

A steel and grass structure is envisioned as part of the Entrance Garden.

GARDENS AS A FOCUS & INSPIRATION

Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework a place that will delight and be worthy of repeat visits. An arbor, lawn, benches and containers will give interest to the space. A small lawn surrounded by terraces will encourage use of the space for weddings, events and private gatherings. Pavement is envisioned as concrete planks, with stone insets. Container gardens in this area will be remarkable. The north edge of the space is defined by the lath house, the south edge is defined by structures and the east edge is defined by rammed earth walls.

The Chroma (Color) Garden will feature bright colors and seasonal change.

• Mediterranean Garden As water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity, it is essential to demonstrate how low-water use gardens are also beautiful and functional to home gardeners. This space will be visible from the administrative offices and accessible to visitors through the Chroma Garden. The paved terrace located off the office conference room will support small functions.

C. East Gardens, moving from west to east

The Mediterranean Garden will feature plants requiring little water.

The Pollinator & Habitat Garden will have multi-seasonal interest.

• Pollinator and Habitat Garden A meadow-like garden with layered and multi-seasonal interest is envisioned for this space. Native and non-native perennials, bulbs, ephemerals, and flowering shrubs will provide year round habitat for birds and small mammals and food for pollinators. This garden will be highly floral and beautiful while educating visitors to the meadow ecology that exists in all temperate climates. It will also demonstrate sustainable gardening principles. The location of this garden at the intersection of the cultural and ecological transects is appropriate. The preferred alternative makes this centerpiece an “ecological quad”, with a small panel of lawn for events surrounded by lush meadows. To the north is the multi-purpose building for events and to the south is a fireplace terrace; both will accommodate gatherings and small performances. • Water Garden-Pond, Fen and Bog Garden The water garden is a central feature of the upper garden. The water garden will be a gathering, space, a respite and an informative place. Collections within it will include fen, bog, water plants in the pond, as well as perimeter plantings. Benches, an terraced seating and an overlook provide a diversity of experiences and gathering spaces. A fen is a perched water table with a basic PH. Cobra Lilies (Darlingtonia californica) and other carnivorous plants are native to this ecology yet seldom experienced. The diverse set of plants that grow in these ecologies will captivate visitors, demonstrating that these kinds of wet areas are important habitats for unique plants as well as animals, par-

18 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework ticularly amphibians. Orchids and water lilies can be an important and striking collection for these habitats. • Gulliver’s Garden There are countless plants that are large in scale, the most notable being Gunnera with heroic sized leaves. This garden is intended to make the visitor feel like they are in an enchanted land that will captivate children and adults alike. Located south east of the pond, plants will be planted in containers of varying heights set in permeable pavement. While some are flush with the ground, others project up and form seat walls and retain the edges of stairs. Special features include circular sunken planters filled with giant plants. The surrounding terraces will support small gatherings. • Moss Garden A garden expression from Japan is envisioned as artfully innovative and re-imagined for the moss garden at the Leach Botanical garden. These primitive plants are a perfect foil with dynamic paving patterns and graphic ground planes. A memorable feature will be well-crafted mosaic stone pathway, a collection of mosses, ferns, wisk ferns and even horsetails to showcase primitive plants in a graphic and interesting manner that will be an effective teaching tool for these plants that evolved before dinosaurs.

Terraced seating

Darlingtonia californica

D. South Gardens, moving north to south • Alpine Garden The Alpine Garden, separate from the walls, will display alpine plants in sculptural conical steel forms that are expressions of the mountains of Cascadia. Special elements include small water features and sculptural steel troughs planted with alpine plants and referencing the Cascade Mountain Range. The stone terrace can host small gatherings. • Physic Garden John Leach was a pharmacist and had a significant physic garden near this site. While his garden focused on medicinal plants, this contemporary physic garden will include plants used by humans in modern medicine, textiles, cosmetics, and other industries, demonstrating the essential, often unrecognized, role that plants play in our everyday lives. This garden epitomizes Leach Garden’s mission to inform and interpret the connection between people and plants. While the Alpine Garden to the north references larger regional geography and land forms, this garden is informed by microscopic forms, DNA chains and patterns of

The Gulliver’s Garden’s giant leaves will delight visitors.

Contemporary moss garden

Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework scientific discovery. Special features include the decorative metal DNA wall and overhead trellises.

Alpine plants will be presented as they grow in the wild - in a steep, rocky terrain.

â&#x20AC;˘ Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Secret Garden With an emphasis on hands-on gardening experience for children, this garden will be used to engage young people in plants and nature. The garden will educate and entertain, informing them of current issues related to habitat, water, and climate change and plant migration. The garden may include plots for growing, bird feeders, a salamander pond, apiaries and a secret garden where children can relax in seed pods, play in environmental sculptures or get lost in a grass maze. The layout of the garden mimics ferns unfolding. Structures include a whimsical tool shed and an arbor. A play mound references the form of bugs, with spots, large eyes and spindly legs. Gathering places include a terrace under a covered arbor. â&#x20AC;˘ Woodland Hillside Garden / Gallery The stand of native conifers on the hillside above the house has a strong character of scale and dappled light. These impressive trees have a robust collection of native plants on the ground plane and this will be further enhanced and expanded. All the trilliums native to the Northwest should be represented here to augment the existing collection. The aerial tree walk will create an iconic and distinctive experience of this space. There are opportunities to incorporate diverse flora on the ground plane; perhaps including new Moss and Mushroom collections and enhancing the existing historic collections of trillium, may-apple and irises. The hillside is a transition between contemporary upper garden and traditional lower garden. Accessible to all, the aerial tree walk offers visitors new and less common perspective. There is potential to highlight forest management concepts including restoration and succession. Opportunities to incorporate permanent or temporary environmental art are also abundant. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Land Morphology

The contemporary Physic Garden will feature plants used in modern medicine, textiles, cosmetics, and other industries.

COGNITION & SUPPORT

Gathering places Botanical Gardens are evolving to be cultural institutions as well as places for the study of plants. Diverse gathering spaces support educational and cultural events for people with diverse interests and abilities. Each display garden is designed to include a gathering space. In addition to the terraces, lawns, and small performance venues located in individual gardens, there are several larger gathering spaces in the Garden including decks, terraces, courtyards and lawns. 20 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework A. Welcome Courtyard

From the parking area or drop-off zone, visitors pass over a water feature and pass between rammed earth walls and arrive in the terrace. The welcome terrace provides orientation to the gardens, the history of Leaches, and is a place to host plant sales. Directly south is the coffee terrace.

B. CoffeeTerrace

Located outside of the ticket gate, the coffee courtyard serves as a neighborhood “third place.” The space provides views into the alpine collection to the south. Movable tables and chairs encourage neighbors to socialize and enjoy local food and beverages.

Example of rammed earth walls

C. Alpine courtyard

This Alpine courtyard is a centerpiece in the sequence of buildings. It is a space framed by sloping walls of alpine plants that become rooftop gardens. Water collects in a “spring” that is framed by decking. To the north is the Chroma courtyard and to the south is a long view across the meadow toward the Fireplace terrace. Movable seating and tables encourage guests to linger in a covered shaded space.

D. East event deck

East of the Multi-purpose building is an elevated deck that overlooks the Water Garden. The roof of the event center extends to provide shade and weather protection. Movable furnishings and protection from the weather creates a flexible space that can be used year-round. The proximity of the event deck to the event center and the gathering lawn accommodate programming of larger public and private events.

E. East boardwalk and overlook

A narrow boardwalk extends from the event deck to the center of the pond where visitors overlook the water gardens, fen, bog and Gulliver’s garden. From the boardwalk ramps connect to Gulliver’s garden and the Bog garden. Potentially the overlook could serve as a stage for small performances, visible from several seating areas in the Water garden.

WELCOME COURTYARD ALPINE COURTYARD

ALPINE GARDEN

F. Gathering green

The green is a gently sloping 7500 square foot lawn that provides a venue for outdoor gathering including festivals, concerts, theatre, and exhibits. It is equipped with event power and perimeter walks are paved, lit and accessible.

EAST EVENT DECK

Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework G. Fireplace terrace

Located on the highpoint of the upper garden at the edge of the forest, the fireplace terrace is a gathering place with a view. A portion is covered with an arbor whose form and style reference a traditional lath house. The arbor will be designed for year round use with tent fabric that will enclose the space in the winter. A feature of the terrace is a linear gas outdoor fireplace. The view to the north will have meadow as foreground and the new buildings as middle ground with a few mature Douglas firs and the sky as backdrop. To the south are the forest and the canopy walk referred to as the aerial tree walk. To the west is the Physic Garden and to the east are historic collections.

Special Features Special features are located throughout the site and within individual gardens. Features associated with each gardens have been previously described. The more significant special features are described here.

A. The Aerial Tree Walk

This is the most dramatic landscape feature in the upper garden. Located in the Woodland Garden, the circular walk starts at the fireplace terrace, loops to the south, and returns to the terrace - all while remaining at the same elevation. At the southern-most point the walk is 30 feet above the ground offering visitors views of the tree canopy and the forest floor below.

B. The Runnel

A linear runnel runs the length of the buildings from the welcome terrace to the pond. Parallel with the buildings the runnel captures roof runoff in an artful feature designed to re-circulate or perhaps simply be animated when it rains and water flows over a textured surface.

C. Art

A limited amount of permanent art is recommended. Changing exhibits attract higher visitation and provide more opportunities for artists to display diverse collections.

D. Artful features and well-crafted details

Throughout the Garden there will be artful details and attention to craftsmanship. Retaining walls, handrails, benches, containers, 22 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

The Landscape Framework walls, fences and screen walls are opportunities to showcase local materials and craftsmanship. While the Garden needs some elements of continuity, the elements of distinction will be most memorable.

E. Storm water features

Storm water features and gardens will be used throughout the site to manage and educate visitors about how the hydrologic cycle works. Some will be naturalistic in feel. Near the architecture in the model gardens they will be dynamic built features that are functional and attractive. Visitors will pass over varying expressions of water in several places throughout the Garden observing ponding, flowing, infiltrating and seeping water.

A linear runnel similar to this will run the length of the buildings, from the Welcome Center to the Water Garden pond.

F. Grass Mound

Located on the path from the parking to the welcome center, the grass mound combines a steel wall, planters and ornamental grass in an artful way forming a pedestrian gateway where main walk intersects the parking lot.

G. View Platforms

View platforms located on the hillside in the world garden will capture views of Johnson Creek.

H. Playful Elements

The Leach Board has requested a variety of playful features scattered throughout the garden. These may include tree houses, environmental play sculptures, story circles, nests, swings, nature play elements and unusual plants

I. Containers and Plants

Throughout the site and within individual gardens, plants will be seasonally on display in a variety of sizes and styles of containers.

Wayfinding/interpretive signage The inspiration for the wayfinding/interpretive signage design concept came from the vertical presence of the Gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forested hillside. The sloped terrain offers visitors distant vistas at unique vantage points, and allows for an element of discovery and surprise as one strolls along the meandering paths. The signage offers sparks of art that are eye-catching yet subtle. The panels have the potential to include donor recognition as well as small icons of a Portland Parks & Recreation

The Landscape Framework variety of insects that are delightful and relevant to the respective garden areas.

Design Typology

Stainless steel dimensional letters identify buildings and rooms for the visitors. The clean-cut look complements the architecture by integrating with the slender vertical wood members of the exterior of the building structues and accentuating the wood’s warm hues. The concept for the wayfinding and interpretive signage utilizes stainless steel tubing and tempered glass display panels with sandblasted surface, text, and icons. The glass panel is clip-fastened to the side of the stainless tube. Signs made of glass and stainless steel are recommended for their durability and longevity. They are very visable but do not intrude upon their surroundings. As an option, LED lights can be embedded along the sides of the glass so that the text and images will glow at night. Three levels of pathway signage are recommended: • Grand Pole - 7’ above grade. These identify key areas of the Garden and will help visitors orient themselves. • Grand Pole Directional - 7’ above grade. • Petit Pole - 4’ above grade. These signs identify each individual garden.

HILLSIDE NATIVE GARDEN

Two levels of orientation/interpretive panels are recommended. Expanded campus maps and major interpretive displays utilize the Grand Panels. The Petit Panels are used for localized campus maps and site-specific interpretive information.

Path & Stair

Concept for the Grand Pole pathway sign

24 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Architecture The building program was established in the 2012 Master Plan and refined with the design team architects led by Olson Kundig. Architecture with a sensitive relationship to nature was the center of the design conversation: inside and outside are blended as the gardens and architecture connect and their distinctions are blurred. The capacity of the spaces was carefully considered, balancing growth and a strong vision with fiscal mindedness. Olson Kundig and Land Morphology drew on their experience with public gardens to create an architectural program that is both visionary and well advised.

Architectural Description

by Olson Kundig, Kevin Kudo-King and Misun Chung Gerrick The Leach Botanical Gardens Visitor Center is made up of four buildings: Welcome Center, Gift Shop/Partner Offices, Multi-Purpose Building, and Administrative Offices. These buildings lightly touch the ground and are connected by a wooden lath structure, inspired by the traditional lath house to protect delicate plants from sun and wind. The wooden structure provides visitors covered shelter, shading, supports delicate plant growth, and fosters bird-friendly design. Interlaced between buildings are five distinct exterior gathering spaces: Welcome Courtyard, Coffee Terrace, Alpine Courtyard, Event Terrace, and continuous boardwalks from entry to the Water Garden. These outdoor rooms blend buildings and the gardens and blurs inside and outside.

The Experience The symbolic gateway to the Garden is announced by the twentyfour foot tall wooden lath structure. It extends through the line of trees and weaves through two rammed earth walls that separate the entry drive from the garden. As visitors arrive, they are able to see the Welcome courtyard and trees through a grill set in a water feature. The earthen walls, wooden lath, and sound of water weave together to form an entry sequence that unfolds through a series of discoveries.

The garden gateway extends through a line of trees and weaves through two rammed earth walls that separate the entry drive from the garden.

Once visitors pass around the earthen walls, they are on a covered boardwalk that extends the full length of the facility to a viewpoint overlooking a water garden. The walkway is framed by vertical wooden laths and covered with translucent roofing to provide protection from the rain. To the south of Welcome courtyard is an Portland Parks & Recreation

Architecture

LATH STRUCTURE

DROP-OFF AREA

WELCOME COURTYARD COFFEE TERRACE

WELCOME CENTER

26 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

ALPINE COURTYARD

ALPINE WALL CISTERN

MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING

Architecture outdoor Coffee Terrace that is partially covered by a cantilevered wooden lath and translucent roofing. To the north is the Gift Shop and space to host daily plant sales. The Welcome Center opens into the courtyard and contains an orientation area, exhibits, a classroom, storage, restrooms, and mechanical and electrical equipment areas. As visitors continue down the boardwalk, they arrive at the Alpine courtyard where sloping walls exhibit delicate alpine plants. These walls are canted with planting trays and blend with the vegetated roof gardens. These exhibits are integrated into the architecture and the visitors can see how the water percolates through plant trays, collects into central 'spring' water, and ties to the runnel alongside the boardwalk. To the north and south, large openings in the lath structure frame views to the garden. This space is large enough for people to gather and provides an alternate exterior venue for events. To the east of the Alpine courtyard is the Multi-Purpose Building. As the largest building in the Upper Garden it contains restrooms, storage, and lecture/event space that can be divided into three separate classrooms. Each classroom features framed views to the gardens. A covered Events Deck cantilevers over the gardens, providing private outdoor space and views of the water garden and fen.

Above: Rendering of the entry courtyard. Welcome Center is to the left and coffee terrace is to the right. The water gardens are at the far eastern end of the walkway. Below: Rendering of the Welcome Center and covered coffee terrace as seen from the south.

The entries to the restrooms are behind the alpine garden walls, giving “behind the scene” views on how water percolates through plant trays. The restrooms will be clearly marked with signage from the boardwalk and courtyard but this door location offers privacy and is away from major circulation. There are two other buildings to the north of the Welcome Center and Multi-Purpose Building – the Gift Shop/Partner Office and Administrative Offices. They are simple buildings with vegetated 38 | LEACH BOTANICAL GARDEN MASTER PLAN roofs and interior space that accommodates flexible seating for the Garden administrative and partner staff. Audubon Society of Portland is a key partner with Leach Botanical Garden. Audubon staff is housed at the Garden now and plan to continue to be a partner as the Garden grows. At the time of this summary is being written, Johnson Creek Watershed Council is exploring whether to relocation its headquarters to the Garden as well.

Portland Parks & Recreation

Architecture

Building materials and structures The main framing of wooden lath structure is clear, pressure-treated and sealed Douglas-fir columns and beams to resist rot, decay, and insects. The secondary framing of lath structure is painted steel beams and columns that span in the east-west direction. Modular cedar lath panels are designed to be prefabricated off-site then attached to the structure as a panelized system. Cedar will naturally weather to a silver hue, and could be treated with teak oil, or finished with a clear coat for low maintenance. Parts of the lath structure are covered with polycarbonate semitranslucent panels, engineered fabric, or solar cells on clear glass to allow light to pass through. Rainwater would be directed to integral gutters and collected into cisterns in a visible and educational way. This light structure responds to concerns about bird strikes on glass voiced by Audubon staff. 28 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Architecture The four buildings are simple, informal, wood-framed structures, clad in painted metal panels, with plywood ceilings, durable concrete floors, aluminum windows, and planted green roofs. The buildings’ exterior is dark in color to contrast with the natural wood lath structure. For mechanical systems, each building has its own high-efficient Variable Refrigeration Flow (VRF) for heating and cooling, tankless water heaters, and automated operable windows. This promotes low initial cost and the ability to phase construction. On the roof of wooden lath structure, solar panels could be installed to offset energy use.

Sustainability Sustainable strategies include: • vegetated roofs, • harvesting rain water, • grey water reuse, • high-efficiency mechanical systems, • efficient building envelope, • low-flow plumbing fixtures, • locally sourced and sustainably harvested wood, • natural ventilation, • daylighting, • low-emitting materials, • reduced light pollution, • use of renewable energy, and • 85% construction waste recycling goal. As directed by the City’s Green Building Policy, all buildings will achieve LEED Gold standard. The team will explore the Living Building Challenge's standards as well.

Future/Phasing Each building is designed to be built incrementally with flexible open space. The Welcome Center and western half of the wooden lath structure could be built first to provide covered exterior event space, restrooms, and flexible interior space that could be used as a classroom, office, and/or gift shop. Phasing of buildings allows the Visitor Center to grow with the garden.

Portland Parks & Recreation

30 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Communications Approach The gardens and buildings in this development plan were developed with input from a variety of sources. As the project began, residents of Porltand seemed to fall into three categories about Leach Botanical Garden. The first, those who know the garden, are in love with the Garden and ready to volunteer and help out in any way to keep it going. The second are those who have heard about the Garden and visit occasionally, perhaps they had or attended a wedding at the Garden. And third, there are Portlanders who have never heard of the Garden. So embarking on the Upper Garden project, there was a strong effort to ask people who visit occasionally or hadn’t heard of the Garden what would make this a great destination for them and increase the number of repeat visitors. In addition, East Portland has a richness of diverse, culturally-specific residents. The outreach effort included listening to Russian, Vietnamese, and Spanish speaking residents about their thoughts on the garden. This effort was led by Gay Greger and David Porter with Leach Garden Friends.

Getting the Word Out

East Portland residents General • Full page ad in East Portland Neighborhood News (50,000 households) w/associated online survey • East Portland Sunday Parkways • Lents Street Fair & Farmer's Market

Leach Botanical Garden If you could design the perfect, unforgettable garden, what would it include? Leach Botanical Garden 6704 SE 122nd Avenue 503-823-1671 Tues - Sat 9am - 4pm Sunday 1 - 4pm www.leachgarden.org

Alex Ladizinsky

Door-to-door flyer (120 households) Neighbor site tours and project introduction (2 dates) Mailing to 2,080 households within walking distance of Garden Special display at Bosniak Educational & Cultural Center (see Multi-cultural below)

hat’s what the Leach Garden Friends want to know before they begin working with the City of Portland to create a design for eight undeveloped acres along the north side of the Garden.

The setting for Leach Garden is magical, tucked into a hollow along Johnson Creek, just south of Foster on SE 122nd Avenue. The Garden features a lovely manor house, walking trails, thousands of plants, and a charming little stone cabin. It was the original home of famed botanist Lilla Leach and her pharmacist husband, John. It is now a public garden, free and open to visitors 6 days a week. Leach Garden is a place of beauty and tranquility, with something new to see every time you take a stroll. The calendar is filled with classes, activities, and special events throughout the year. Free tours are offered on Saturdays at 11am, March through November.

Please take a moment to go online and tell us what you think would make Leach Garden a treasure for you and your family: Leach Garden es una gema del este de Portland. Es gratis y está abierto al público seis días a la semana. Estamos preparándonos para agregar mejoras a ocho acres del jardín, para que nos permita ofrecer un mejor servicio a la comunidad. Pero antes de empezar a diseñar cualquier cosa, queremos saber lo que usted piensa. Tómese un momento para acceder a la página en línea y decirnos qué cree que haría que Leach Garden sea un tesoro para usted y su familia. La encuesta en español puede encontrarse en www.surveymonkey.com/r/leach-spn

www.surveymonkey.com\r\leach-eng

Ботанический сад Лич – это жемчужина восточной части Портленда. Сад открыт для посетителей шесть дней в неделю, вход бесплатный. В скором времени будут проведены работы по благоустройству восьми акров земли принадлежащих саду. Эти изменения помогут нам ответить на нужды жителей нашей округи. Но прежде чем начнется проектирование, мы хотели бы услышать ваше мнение. Пожалуйста, уделите минутку и ответьте на вопросы относительно того что, по вашему мнению, сделает Ботанический сад Лич сокровищем для вас и вашей семьи.

Leach Garden là điều quý giá ở phía đông Portland. Leach Garden mở cửa chào đón công chúng miễn phí sáu ngày một tuần. Chúng tôi đang chuẩn bị hoàn thiện thêm tám mẫu của Khu vườn để giúp chúng tôi phục vụ cộng đồng tốt hơn. Nhưng trước khi chúng tôi bắt đầu thiết kế, chúng tôi muốn nhận ý kiến đóng góp từ quý vị. Vui lòng dành chút thời gian để truy cập trực tuyến và cho chúng tôi biết quý vị nghĩ điều gì sẽ làm cho Leach Garden trở thành một điều quý giá cho quý vị và gia đình của quý vị.

Опросник на Русском языке находится здесь www.surveymonkey.com/r/leach-russ

Hoàn tất bản khảo sát bằng tiếng Việt tại www.surveymonkey.com/r/leach-viet

Fritz Photography

• • • •

What makes a place feel special to you?

David F. Ashton

Immediate and near-by neighbors

Informational meeting in the Upper Garden tent

Mary Edmeads

The outreach was broad and valuable to the project. Over a sixmonth time period, the following outreach took place. In general, the approach was to take the Upper Garden project to where people were rather than to ask people to come to dedicated project meetings.

Volunteers play an important role at Leach Garden. They work in the Garden and giftshop, lead tours, and put on events like the summer English Teas, a 25 year tradition.

There are lots of activities for children, including classes and camps, “Honeybee Hikes” for preschoolers, and our popular Nature Fair, a FREE event coming up this year on May 16th from 10am - 2pm.

This full-page ad in the East Portland Neighborhood News went to 50,000 households in April 2015.

Portland Parks & Recreation

Communications Approach

Bosniak Educational & Cultural Organization

• Hawthorne Street Fair • Division/Midway Festival of Nations Street Fair Multi-cultural outreach • Above-mentioned ad contained invitation to participate in our design effort in three different languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian. Online surveys were in all three languages in addition to English. • Cultural Ambassadors conducted outreach in the above languages, using the survey tool and project display materials. Each ambassador interacted with people in a wide variety of places, from churches and community organizations to cultural events, housing complexes and gathering places. (See appendix for full report and observations.) • Week-long display at Bosniak Educational & Cultural Organization, culminating with staffed display at the end of Ramadan prayers on a Friday evening. East Portland neighborhood structure • Attended multiple neighborhood association meetings, East Portland Action Plan meetings, Parks Coalition meetings; invited leadership of surrounding neighborhoods to special briefing • Staffed Leach Garden Booth at Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighbor's Night Out • Display at African American Alliance for Homeownership Festival - Lents Park • Attended multiple area business association meetings (East Portland Chamber, North Clackamas Chamber, Gresham Chamber)

Portland Nursery

Metro-wide horticultural community • Portland Nursery staffed tentdisplay • Hardy Plant Society study weekend at PSU - staffed display - 2 days (400+ in attendance) LGF members and volunteers & partners • Member newsletter with insert on project • Member & volunteer site tours • Partner meetings & briefings; inclusion in CAC meetings

Hawthorne Street Fair

General public • Website with background information, plans, and feedback form • Open House Events (4 days) at the Garden • Advertisements and calendar listings in The Oregonian, OregonLive, on our FaceBook page, etc.

32 Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan

Communications Approach • Leach Garden Frends Nature Fair (350+ in attendance) • Lecture Series - including staffed displays of plans for the Garden. Sponsored by Portland Nursery and offered in partnership with the Pacific Northwest College of Art and Portland Art Museum.

Energizing a Place: New Trends in Public Gardens with Richard Hartlage, Principal/CEO Land Morphology Thursday, July 9 6:oo pm Pacific Northwest College of Art 511 NW Broadway Portland, OR Admission: FREE Richard Hartlage's award-winning, innovative designs are renowned as emotive spaces that incorporate sophisticated horticulture, artful detailing, and historical knowledge that heighten the human experience of the natural world. For this opening lecture, Richard will discuss how public spaces such as the Highline in New York, City Garden in St. Louis and Millennium Park in Chicago are having a profound influence on public gardens. Public gardens, to attract visitors and be relevant to the community, are no longer simply plant collections for a small group of knowledgeable gardeners but need to be dynamic cultural institutions that appeal to a broad cross section of the community. Richard's inspiring images convey a fresh and exciting look at gardens as true works of art. See some of Richard's work at http://landmorphology.com/ This lecture is offered in partnership with the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Darlingtonia's Home: The Unique Eco-systems of the Southern Oregon Siskiyous

Water and Green Infrastructure: Artful and Ecological Treatment of Stormwater

with Erin Riggs & Daniel Newberry

with Mike Faha, Principal GreenWorks

Thursday, August 13 7:00 pm Leach Botanical Garden 6704 SE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR Admission: FREE

Thursday, September 24 7:00 pm Leach Botanical Garden 6704 SE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR Admission: FREE

If you spend time exploring in the Southern Oregon Siskiyou Mountains, you are likely to come across several unique and fascinating ecosystems. Erin and Daniel will talk about some of these exceptional places and the plants that call them home. Discover the story behind Oregon's lovely native Iris innominata. Learn how local geology and hydrology combine to create a fen, where the beautiful, carnivorous Darlingtonia (Cobra lily) thrives. Leach Botanical Garden's new master plan includes a large water garden and fen that will feature many of the plants found in these special southern Oregon places.

Artful rainwater design is an innovative approach to sustainable stormwater management through green infrastructure that celebrates rain. By celebrating the infrastructure as a design element, we achieve landscapes that perform at multiple levels through improved water quality, wildlife habitat, and human habitat. Often modest in design, the impact of artful rainwater design is found in its simplicity and harmonious integration with the natural and built environment.

Erin is a Research Botanist and Herbarium Curator. Daniel is a hydrologist and the Executive Director of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council. He is the former director of the Siskiyou Field Institute.

Leach Botanical Garden’s new master plan calls for green infrastructure throughout, from green roofs and naturalistic stormwater gardens to dynamic built features. Mike is a founding principal of GreenWorks. His primary professional interest is in creating livable, sustainable communities that balance economic, ecological, and social needs.

Thin Places: Gardens That Move You with Richard Hartlage - Principal/CEO Land Morphology Thursday, October 22 6-8 pm Portland Art Museum 1219 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR Admission: FREE There are some places in this world that captivate and inspire. They move us - sometimes for reasons we can't express. There is a word for these destinations: they are called thin places. Ancient, pre-Christian, people used the term to describe a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin. Thin Places can be beautiful or austere, opulent or profane but they always transport us. They nudge us out of our traditional ways of seeing the world, giving us a deep sense of the magnitude of the present. Can gardens be thin places? Richard Hartlage suggests that, with thoughtful collaboration and discipline, they can. Not every project has the intention of becoming a thin place, but those that do can be a profound experience for the garden designer. Richard will talk about two significant projects that changed how he perceives the process of creating exceptional gardens that leave strong emotional impressions, and the ingredients necessary to imbue a place with meaning. This lecture is offered in partnership with the Portland Art Museum.

Presentations have been reviewed and approved by the Oregon Chapter of ASLA for 1.0 Health, Safety and Welfare PDH each for Oregon Registered Landscape Architects.

2015 Lecture Series www.leachgarden.org