What's Next for Leach Botanical Garden?

One of the perks of working at Leach Botanical Garden is the opportunity to walk the garden regularly, looking carefully at different planting sections with intention, sometimes walking the paths in silence and noticing the sounds and smells of the plants in the early morning, the mists still settled as dew drops on fronds, green tendrils pushing through soil as they reach to the light. 

On a walk last week with former Executive Director David Porter, he pointed out an unusual Leach garden feature that I had previously overlooked, a cedar tree and a douglas fir tree merged at their base, growing together, forming a single trunk. This union has been noted as a marriage of the trees by our garden tour guides. I have to admit, in my many hikes through NW forests, I’ve never seen two trees bonded like this. Maybe others exist, but it is lovely to think of this phenomenon as rare and yet accessible to anyone who visits the garden. A treat for those who are paying attention. 

Leach Garden has gone through a triple crisis this year. First a leadership transition, always tricky to navigate. Then a cash crunch in January, well documented for those who have been following along. And laying off half our staff in February left 11 people scrambling to cover the work previously done by 22. Everyone pitched in to help, even those who had been laid off worked hard to make sure we could be successful going forward. We cut back, we made hard choices and we let the community know what was happening. 

Fortunately, you, as a community, showed up for us… in a big way. Yes, it’s not the same. We cut back on our open hours, we reduced staffing hours (as well as positions), and we eliminated some well loved programming. But ultimately, the goal was to keep the garden open and functioning as a botanical oasis. You showed up as volunteers to pull weeds, water plants, add mulch, plant seedlings, and welcome visitors. The garden looks great! Come visit! You also showed up with donations that allowed us to pay staff who organize the volunteers, make informed decisions about where to plant the plants, and to greet and welcome visitors. Your previous contributions let us complete the installation of the pedestrian bridge which now reopens the south side garden walkways and the stone cottage.  All told, we raised just shy of $700,000 from new donations between February and April. 

And in April, we received word that we will, in fact, be getting some city support in July for our next fiscal year (one-time only, they made that clear). It was half of what we asked for, but it’s still significant in terms of funding (representing about 16% of next year's funding, vs 33% of previous years). In that moment, our energy shifted from panicked survival to a more measured pace of stabilization and a move to a plan for long term sustainability. To be clear, the money from the city was life support, not business as usual. It forestalls more dramatic cuts in July of 2026. We can keep operating at our reduced service levels through June 2027 so we have time to plan.

We have some big decisions to make over the next year. The city has been clear that they want us to operate on earned income (admission fees, gift store sales) and contributions (donations, grants) without continued contributions from city funds. This is a tricky puzzle to solve.  Running a garden like Leach is expensive mostly because staffing is expensive (about 75% of our costs are staff related). But we need horticulture expertise, fundraising expertise, dedicated staff to oversee the event rentals/wedding rentals, manage the gift store, greet guests, provide directions and information, clean and fix the physical campus. We get a lot done with volunteers and partners, and we need folks who can organize and coordinate those generous members of the community. It’s a lot and we try to take care of the people (our staff) who give so much to this place by paying them as well as we can and giving them basic benefits like health care and a small retirement match. 

So what’s next? 

1. This March our Horticulture team size was reduced to 2 staff members (from 4), and we knew they were going to need help to keep the Garden looking beautiful. As funding was tight we turned to volunteer help to fill the gap. Many thanks to our weekly and one-time group volunteers who have made a big difference in garden maintenance.
   
   As the garden’s upkeep needs ramp up this summer and fall we hope to hire a part-time seasonal gardener to join our team this July. This 16-hour/week role would make our internal operations more sustainable into the future.
   
   We’ve already connected with 10 generous individual donors who have stepped up to collectively pledge $25,000 to support this position. Now we need your help to unlock that match and raise an additional $25,000. 
   
   Many of you have already given generously during our urgent call for support this spring. Thank you! You’ve made it possible for the Garden to remain open into the future. If you have the capacity to help us support our Horticulture team and volunteers, your gift will make a real difference. Help us care for the 2,000 different plants at Leach. They are our community’s living legacy.

2. We will be raising prices on July 1. This choice is always hard for us because we know expenses are going up for everyone in our community and we don’t want cost to be a barrier for anyone who wants to enjoy the garden. But we also want to ensure that we have the funds needed to keep this place operating in a healthy and sustainable way. On July 1, admission for adults will rise to $12. Admission for youth will stay at $5, and admission for kids under five will remain free. Ours is still one of the lowest price admissions of any venue in the Portland Area and we use these fees to cover the costs of the horticulture team and managing and maintaining the garden. Starting last year we began to set aside 20% of admission revenue into a fund to pay for future capital maintenance like sidewalks, roof repair, lighting fixes, and other big deferred maintenance costs that otherwise wouldn’t get addressed. This is an important part of our long term sustainability plan. Our Garden for All program still guarantees that anyone can access the garden regardless of ability to pay. We fundraise to maintain access for everyone who wants to visit this beautiful space. Please visit. Your engagement in the garden makes all of this possible. 

3. The board is working on a long term financial sustainability plan. Over the next couple months, they will be identifying the mix of funding needed to keep the garden open at different service levels depending in part on the amount of funding we can secure from outside entities like foundations, government, and corporations. We are contemplating a planned giving campaign that would allow folks to leave assets from their estates to provide a long term invested asset base (like an endowment) which would contribute to reducing the ongoing structural operating support gap which exists as we look past 2027 into Leach Garden’s future. 
4. The board is also looking at the qualities needed in the next Executive Director. The job of running Leach Garden is different from what it was a few years ago and they will be gathering information from community members, staff, and key stakeholders to identify what’s needed, and how we find that next great person. More on this in the future. 
5. Finally, the board is working on its own succession planning. This is a mighty group of committed volunteers and they need more folks willing to pick up the baton and carry it forward for the next generation. Participating in board service takes time, responsibility, knowledge and a willingness to pitch in when needed. It’s also very satisfying to engage in the success of a beloved community space like Leach Garden. We have a process for bringing on new board members, but if this is a place where you have interest, it’s a great opportunity to be part of something so worthwhile. 

On behalf of the staff, the board, and the thousands of people who have joined together to keep Leach Botanical Garden vibrant and thriving, we want to thank you for your support and invite you to visit and see the good work that’s been happening since the last time you were here. The flowers in May are spectacular.