Leach Botanical Garden, Portland Landscape Design, Oregon Architecture, Masterplan Design, Building Photography
Leach Botanical Garden, Portland, Oregon
Jan 22, 2023
Design: Land Morphology
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA

Photos by Land Morphology and site
Leach Botanical Garden, Portland
Beginning in 2015, Land Morphology led the development of a strategic master plan for Leach Botanical Garden, a 16-acre garden for the City of Portland Parks & Recreation. Located in southeast Portland, the multi phase Master Plan project will fundamentally transform the botanical garden.

Before the 1800s, native people hunted, fished, and camped along Johnson Creek, which bisects the property that now defines the garden. In the second half of the 19th century, the property was part of a sawmill furnishing lumber to build homes in Portland. In 1931, John and Lilla Leach acquired a portion of the property. John, a pharmacist, and Lilla, an accomplished botanist, devoted their energies to cultivating a private garden that showcased their fascination with plants. Wilbert Davies, who later became a notable California-based landscape architect, was retained by the Leach family to develop landscaping plans. The plans were only partly carried out, and following the deaths of the Leachs, the property was eventually gifted to the City of Portland.
Phase 1 focused on developing the upper garden and establishing connections between it and the lower, house and historic garden, garden. Work is...