Leach Botanical Garden, Portland, OR

Portland has some beautiful gardens, several of which theTravelsketcher and I have enjoyed visiting this spring. Here are the links to the ones we’ve seen so far:

Portland Japanese Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Elk Rock Garden

My personal favorite is Leach Botanical Garden. This beautiful, sixteen acre property was originally the home of high school sweethearts, John and Lilla Leach, who purchased a 4 acre (1.6 hectare) portion of the plot in the early 1930s for just $10.00.

John attended Oregon Agricultural College where he earned a degree in pharmacology. Lila attended University of Oregon and earned a degree in botany. They completed most of the landscaping work themselves with the help of landscape architect, Wilbert Davies.

They named the property Sleepy Hollow and built this charming stone cottage there near Johnson Creek, where they enjoyed spending weekends.

They later built a larger house that was their home until the mid 1970s, when it became too difficult for them to maintain.

After their deaths, the property was acquired by the City of Portland and is currently open to the public. Additional acreage was added to the garden after the city acquired the property.

In 2021 an elevated tree walk, arbor and some interesting benches were added.

Life begins the day you start a garden. – Chinese Proverb

The gardens are located at 6704 SE 122nd Ave., Portland, OR 97236, and are open Wednesdays – Sundays from 10am – 4pm. There is a small admission fee. The Manor House is available to rent for special occasions.

Be sure to check out theTravelsketcher’s post which includes a little history of May Day, which is today!

As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a comment if you like.

Happy spring!

Tricia