Portland is home to some of the great gardens of the world, and it now has an opportunity for a new public botanical garden along the Willamette River.

Join our November Speaker Series for a presentation and discussion with the Portland Botanical Gardens (PBG) representatives: Matt Taylor, PBG Executive Director, Sean Hogan, PBG Board Member, Deepa Natarajan, PBG Board Member, and Michael Geffel, PBG Advisor

Founded in 2020 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Portland Botanical Gardens has searched for a perfect location in “River City” for a major garden, with a strong preference to be near its population center and the water. After considering a half dozen properties in the Portland area, PBG finally put an offer on one of the only available parcels along the river large enough for a major botanical garden, the 59 acre McCormick & Baxter property at 6900 NE Edgewater Avenue.

Photo courtesy of the portland botanical gardens

Located between the University of Portland Franz River Campus and Metro’s future Willamette Cove Natural Area, the site is both a story of healing from industrial pollution and a potential showcase of Portland’s and the larger Northwest’s botanical splendor. South facing and warmed by the last basalt bluffs along the Willamette River, the site also provides a third of a mile of riverfront, the largest stretch of potential public access between Sellwood and Cathedral Park.

Designated a superfund site in the 1990’s, it was officially cleaned up by 2005.

The site sat empty for over two decades, ready for redevelopment, and many of the native plants put in after remediation have matured. Ponderosa, Oregon white oak, and ocean spray have flourished, and madrone naturally seeded from nearby trees. Although the native grasses have given way to more prolific invasives, the overall health and potential of this site provide a perfect base to grow an education focused and public serving botanical garden for Portland.

The prospect of a major public botanical garden in the ‘City of Gardens,’ along with expanded access on Portland’s iconic riverfront, has intrigued and excited many. We look forward to sharing current conceptual plans, natural history of the site, and answering questions.

Register HERE for the webinar, in advance.

Free event. All welcome.

For more information, please visit www.portlandbg.org.