The Berry Botanic Garden

In 1978 when the deed was signed transferring Rae Selling Berry''s property to The Berry Botanic Garden, Dr. Howard S. Mason, the first President of the Board of Directors said, "We have inherited a legend."

She was whisked away on an eighteen month world tour by her mother's sister. Soon after her return, she showed her independence by eloping with Alfred Berry, an Englishman raised in India. Alfred Berry was a contractor who worked on various public projects including parts of Portland's water system. He was superintendent of the Portland airport for twelve years. For over thirty years, the couple lived in the Irvington District of northeast Portland where they raised two sons, Alfred Jr. and Robert, and a daughter, Elsa.

Rae Berry's life was markedly affected by early deafness, a hereditary hardening of the bones of the middle ear which began its progression when she was in her teens. By developing an exceptional ability to lip read and a system of note writing, she met the restrictions of her disability. She delighted in observing the differing shades of green in her garden and was an exceptional cook. Certainly, she had an instinctive sixth sense about plants, intuitively divining their needs.

Her interest in plants began in 1908 with an attempt to enhance the porch of her Irvington house with pots of flowers. From porch to yard to an adjoining lot, her garden grew. She subscribed to gardening magazines, particularly from England, where she first read about plant expeditions to Asia and Europe. Through her financial support of the expeditions, she obtained seed from many of the noted British plant explorers: Kingdon-Ward, Ludlow and Sherriff, and Joseph Rock. Few other gardens matched her collection of species rhododendrons. Perhaps no garden outside the British Isles rivaled her primula collection. Her own treks with fellow plant enthusiasts to the mountains of the American West, British Columbia, and Alaska added to her collection of alpine plants.

By the mid-1930's, Rae Berry was known as a serious plantswoman; but she had run out of space for her plants. In 1938, Rae and Alfred Berry moved to the location which became The Berry Botanic Garden.

The search for new property was primarily a search for ample acreage with diverse habitats to meet the needs of a wide variety of plants. They chose a bowl-shaped site nestled near the top of a hill just north of Lake Oswego which included springs and creeks, a ravine, a meadow, and a cattail marsh. The eastern slopes were covered with young second-growth Douglas fir. Architect Reuben T. Sinex designed the traditional frame house. Its front door and fireplace were handcarved by Portland artist and craftsman, Fritz von Schmidt. The tree carved on the front door marks the transition of the house to the garden.

Landscape architect John Grant of Seattle designed the plantings around the house but Rae Berry arranged the placement of major areas of the garden. In doing so, she considered the needs of the plants rather than their visual appeal. Plants that like "wet feet" were grown in moist areas while the slopes grew plants that required drainage. Behind the house, she planted terraced log beds with primulas and alpine plants. A favorite was Tecophylla cyanocrocus, a vivid blue alpine from Chile now almost extinct in the wild. Raised frames accommodated alpines with more exact horticultural needs.

Rae Selling Berry liked exceptional plants. The harder a plant was to grow, the more devoted she was to its cultivation. For her principal collections --- rhododendrons, primulas, and alpines --- she met horticultural requirements with uncanny accuracy. Her ability to succeed when others failed added to her legend as "compleat plantswoman," a title attributed to someone as involved and skilled in a pursuit as was "The Compleat Angler" of Izaac Walton.

In Rae Berry, a visitor to the garden met a charming hostess who could become a severe gatekeeper if the guest was pretentious or not a serious student of plants. Distinguished botanists and horticulturists eagerly visited and revisited the collections. She carried on an active international correspondence with her peers. Exchanging seeds with many, she further expanded her collections.

Even in her seventies and eighties, Rae Berry enjoyed field trips to the Wallowa Mountains searching for Oregon's only primrose, Primula cusickiana, which she called her "problem child" and dubbed "Cooky." The horticultural challenge of P. cusickiana defied most attempts to raise it outside its alpine home. For these trips, she typically dressed in a brimmed hat, middy blouse, jodhpurs, and knee-high laced boots-reminiscent of a camp fire girl. On daily tours of her garden, she was accompanied by a procession of small dogs and perhaps a gardener. Late each summer afternoon, she weeded. Her tools included a hair pin, used to comb out the root pattern and groom the plant she freed of weeds. The hair pin doubled as a tool to spear slugs.

When she was ninety, Rae Berry planted rhododendron seed destined for maturity years later. She died at her home in 1976 at age 96. During her life, she received honors from various plant societies: the first Award of Excellence given to a woman by the American Rhododendron Society in 1965; and the 1964 Florens de Bevoise Medal of the Garden Club of America for "her remarkable knowledge of alpine plants, primulas, and rhododendrons and success in growing the most difficult subjects." She received a citation from the American Rock Garden Society as one of the great gardeners of America. She was a founding member of the American Primrose Society and the American Rhododendron Society.

Rae Selling Berry created a species garden of international reputation. Although she spent a lifetime building the garden, she made no arrangements for its survival and fully expected the garden to go the way of bulldozers after her death. Despite her expectation, the garden flourishes.

In March 1978, the estate was purchased by The Friends of The Berry Botanic Garden. This non-profit corporation, created to negotiate the purchase, was charged, "to preserve, maintain, disseminate, study and add appropriate plant material to the collections." The purchase followed months of intense activity to save the garden from residential development, a certain fate except for the intervention of three women who made conserving the collections their personal goal. These "founding mothers," Molly Grothaus, Patricia Wessinger, and the late Jane Youell, brought the plight of the garden to the attention of plant authorities and enthusiasts locally and internationally.

The fund drive, which raised over $300,000, succeeded because of wide support. An early gift of $10,000 from the Stanley Smith horticultural Trust in Scotland showed the international importance of the Berry collections. The unanimity of support from plant societies to which Rae Berry belonged testified to the value of carrying on her effort. First-ever support for a project other than one of their own came from the American Rhododendron Society and the Oregon Field Office of The Nature Conservancy.

Timing of the drive was critically tied to settlement of the estate. Because Rae Berry's heirs wanted to see the garden preserved, they granted additional time to the Friends organization and agreed to lower the price to match the available funds. Throughout the eighteen month campaign and until tax exempt status was achieved, gifts to The Berry Garden Fund were received by the Portland State University Foundation.

Epigaea gaultheriodes

Today, a new generation of gardeners continues what Rae Berry began. The Garden staff maintains her collections but also expands them and may add new ones, such as native lilies which were added in 1981. In a few years, the garden has grown from the treasured acquisitions of a skilled plantswoman collected for her own pleasure, to a respected botanic garden complete with education and research programs.

At its founding in 1978, the garden had 49 members; by the early 1990's membership topped 1,000. Members dues and twice yearly plant sales continue to provide significant annual funding. Income from the endowment fund is vital to the fiscal support of the Garden's established programs. Grants and contracts from foundations, corporations, and government fund many special programs.

Many Portland organizations and foundations have regularly supported the Garden's programs, at times ensuring its future. Notable support has come from The Portland Garden Club. As a result of the Garden Club's efforts, The Berry Botanic Garden received the 1979 "Founder's Fund Award" from The Garden Club of America for its outstanding conservation achievement. The cash prize funded construction of the first greenhouse. Individual members have assumed special roles: as prime-movers in acquiring funds to purchase the Garden, in volunteering hours to the Board and various committees, and in identifying and meeting specific needs. One of the most valuable devices for growing difficult plants, the Alpine Frame, was a gift of The Portland Garden Club.

Just as the early history of the Garden was written by some of the most capable plant people of the Pacific Northwest, particularly Rae Berry, current history is in the hands of top plant scientists and skilled amateur gardeners. This mix of training is found among the regular staff as well as among volunteers. During a visit to the Garden, it is sometimes difficult to identify staff from volunteers. They work side by side "getting their hands dirty" while building a new native plant trail or creating a meandering swale for a primula bed. Likewise, various administrative tasks are shared. The "computer operator" is as apt to be the Executive Director as a capable volunteer. The "seed ladies" are long-time volunteers, so competent in preparing seeds for the Seed Bank, the Seed Exchange, or to give to members that the professional staff fully rely on them.

One person with whom everyone consults is Jack Poff. His tenure spans several eras of the garden's development. In 1968 he was hired as Rae Berry's gardener. Following her death, he served as curator of the estate during the months of indecision about the garden's future. With the establishment of the botanic garden, he became curator and then garden manager. In the summer of 1991, he elected part-time retirement and was appointed Alpine Plants Curator. Poff's familiarity with the Garden's collections and his vast knowledge of horticulture, particularly for alpine plants, is known throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The substance of The Berry Botanic Garden is its programs and unique collections. Because of the collections, this garden is high on the list of fine botanical gardens in the nation and abroad. The major collections are primulas, rhododendrons, alpines, species lilies, and native plants.

Primulas: Primulas, commonly known as primroses, are found mostly in mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere. Rae Berry's interest in these colorful plants began during the early years at the Irvington property; they comprised her first collection. Many of the plants were started from seed acquired from the plant expeditions she supported in Asia. In fact, her primary interest in these expeditions was the likelihood of acquiring a rare primula. She produced several of her own named varieties including "Snow Lady" and "Purple Spark."

Today's collection includes accessions from the parent plants and those obtained through international seed exchanges. The collection is displayed throughout the Garden rather than in the log beds used by Rae Berry. A striking "stream" of candelabra primulas now greets visitors as they enter the property.

Alpine Plants: A second love for Rae Berry, begun by acquisition of alpine primulas, opened the vast world of high-mountain alpine and subalpine plants. She housed the most delicate specimens in cold frames and others in log beds on the high ground behind the house. During those years, the plant specialists who visited her garden invariably went straight to the alpine collection. The collection grew from exchanges with fellow enthusiasts, from her own field expeditions, and from seed sent by the great plant explorers of Asia.

When the log beds deteriorated, they were gradually replaced with rock. In 1981, the Garden received a grant from the Jacobs Foundation to develop the High Mountain Section of the Rock Garden with a portion given for the Alpine Meadow Section. Throughout the 1980's this part of the Garden was completely redesigned, principally by Jack Poff. He also introduced an alpine bog to the Rock Garden in 1990. Poff is responsible for the many troughs which hold delicate alpines and decorate the Rock Garden.

Rhododendrons: Rae Berry's interest in rhododendrons began with the material she received from the plant explorers. The seeds were species only, some not yet identified. In those years, she and James Barto of Springfield were the only Oregonians interested in species rhododendrons. His collection eventually was sold to retallers and nurserymen. Rae Berry moved flats of seedlings from the Irvington property and placed them throughout the Garden. They were so numerous that many rooted directly into the ground before they could be transplanted from their flats. She continued to collect rhododendrons throughout her life. Her ultimate collection included over 2,000 specimens representing 160 species, as identified during visits in 1975 and 1980 by the noted Scottish plant taxonomist, H.H. Davidian.

The rhododendron collection continues to enhance the Garden. Dwarf species grow in the Rock Garden and other sunny areas. Two species rhododendrons, R. decorum and R. calophytum, first planted as seedlings, now grow in a mature forest of over 150 trees much as they do in their native Asian mountains.

Native Plants: The Berry's home site abounded with native plants. Much of the ravine and creek areas remained undeveloped leaving untouched a representative cross section of plants of the Pacific Northwest. The Garden's present collection includes about 200 of approximately 5,000 regional native plants. These are found in all parts of the Garden but are abundant along the Native Plant Trail, in the Water Garden and the Rock Garden.

Lilies: In 1979, soon after its founding, the Garden's Board recognized the value of providing sanctuary to specific rare and endangered natives. Because no other botanic garden was committed to providing a haven for the 100 kinds of wild lilies, the genus, Lilium, was given collection status. Its focus is native Northwest and West Coast species. Lilies in the collection are stored as seed or planted throughout the Garden in locations appropriate to their culture.

Conservation Program: Unknowingly, Rae Berry began this program which now is a central focus for the Garden. Her interest in alpine plants led to her acquisition of some rare natives in the wild. After her death, all the collections were appraised. Thirty-nine native species were found to be rare or endangered forming the nucleus for a developing conservation program, as well as the basis for property tax exemption.

The Berry Botanic Garden's Conservation Program now extends far beyond the Garden's immediate collections. In 1983 the Seed Bank for Rare and Endangered Species of the Pacific Northwest was established with a grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust. The Seed Bank was the first to attempt to collect seeds of endangered plants from an entire region, thus maintaining a sanctuary for genetic material of plants at risk of extinction.

This mission to ensure native plants matched that of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), established in 1985. The CPC's goal was to create a national network of botanic gardens and arboreta interested in conserving endangered species. The Berry Botanic Garden became one of eighteen charter Participating Institutions. Using stored seeds, the Garden's plant scientists learn germination methods and conduct research on plant growth and reproduction. They work with other groups and government programs to help secure populations of imperiled species in the wild. The Garden maintains seeds of over 250 kinds of native plants with backup storage for the rarest through a cooperative program with the U.S Department of Agriculture's National Seed Storage Laboratory at Ft. Collins, Colorado.

The Berry Garden's accomplishments - local, regional and international - are significant and growing. The Garden has developed the inherited collections, incorporating them into programs for education, research and the conservation of rare and endangered plants.

Locally, the Garden has an established series of classes, workshops, and symposia to bring information about plants and their importance to the community. Small classes at the Garden give hands-on exposure to plants and horticulture. Workshops and symposia are often held cooperatively with other organizations, covering conservation and horticultural issues of general interest. The Garden sponsors at least one noted speaker each year. The twice yearly plant sales, which are held offsite, help spread information about plant management and the Garden's programs. Presentations which address specific topics for a group are offered by The Berry Garden Speakers Program. Open houses, held seasonally, introduce the Garden's collections and its mission to the interested public. From these events, commitment to the Garden grows and with it membership and volunteers.

Regionally, the Garden's reputation is built upon its contributions to protecting and preserving endangered plant species of the Pacific Northwest and in educating young professionals in its internship programs. The Seed Bank preserves genetic treasures, and field work protects plants in the field. In 1985 the Berry Garden and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mounted a dramatic rescue of a stand of Barrett's penstemon from a cliff in the Columbia Gorge. Another field project is to help save North America's rarest plant, the Malheur's wire lettuce of Eastern Oregon. Such "saves", may lead to relocation of the plant or propagation at the Garden for re-establishment in the wild.

Internationally, the Garden regularly exchanges seeds with other botanic gardens and arboreta. Seed is gathered in wild areas of Oregon and Washington as well as from plants in the garden. The seed exchange as well as the Garden's Seed Bank serve the conservation mission. Finally, the Garden's collections continue to attract plant experts from this country and abroad.

The Garden has completed a remarkable journey from the private garden of Rae Berry to that of a non-profit botanic garden with many public purposes. Those now associated with the Garden treasure the legend of Rae Berry as they continue to meet the horticultural and conservation needs of today and tomorrow.