Leach Botanical Garden
If someone told you that beyond FoPo, beyond Lents, there lay a magical realm, your initial reaction would probably be - much like Bilbo Baggins' - a mixture of disbelief and pragmatic indifference. Nevertheless, I am telling you that.
Open
Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm. Sunday 1pm-4pm. Closed on Mondays. See official website for holiday closures.
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Leach Botanical Gardens is the very epitome of a hidden gem. I had lived in Portland for eight years before I’d heard of it, and practically driven past it (with the doors locked – just sayin’) numerous times without knowing it was there. And then the fact that Leach is a homophone of leech is still off-putting.
Pros
- The carefully planned, and yet apparently haphazard arrangement of plants and paths, is a lot of fun to explore.
- Although small in acreage, there’s enough variety and diversity to make every path an adventure, especially for little children.
- There’s something quite English about both the gardens and the manor house; enough to make this seem a world away from Portland; and almost enough to bring a tear to this Englishman’s eye.
- It’s free!
Cons
- It’s on the small side, so probably won’t keep you occupied for more than, say, 90 minutes.
- Just so you know: no pets allowed.
in the area
Powell Butte and (for the more adventurous) Jenne Butte offer more extensive hiking opportunities nearby.
if you like this…
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is sublime.
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First posted: April 13, 2013; last updated: April 15, 2014.
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If you find any factual innaccuracies in this post, please email me via richard at thingstodoinportland dot org so I can fix it for everyone. Thanks in advance!
6704 SE 122nd Ave., Portland, OR 97236 [Google map].
