Portland, Oregon is one of the only major US cities that does not have a proper botanical garden, which seems strange. Our city has an unprecedented amount of green space and we are often hailed as one of the more sustainable locations in the United States. The idea of building a premier botanical garden in Portland is low hanging fruit that should have been picked decades ago, but has remained untouched. Our city has a number of great institutions and public gardens, which provides us with an opportunity to be a cohesive force to bring the resources and organizations in our networks together to benefit our surrounding communities. We hope that building PBG as a central botanical hub in Portland will help us better serve our neighbors and natural areas.
Joining Forces
Portland Botanical Gardens is the collective vision of our passionate co-founders Sean Hogan and Dan Pogust. Sean has spent over 20 years amassing a network of supporters and resources that could one day be used to create a botanical garden, but he never had the opportunity to piece his vision together.
Dan started with a concept for a smaller conservatory, but after speaking with members of the horticultural community, realized that there was something bigger missing from Portland—a full botanical garden. When Dan approached Sean in 2019 with a proposal for a botanical garden in Portland, they realized that they had enough pieces of the puzzle to begin drafting the project that would soon become PBG.
History in the Making
PBG has grown significantly since it started in Sean’s study on Sauvie Island, in 2019. It’s gone above and beyond the expectations of those that supported the original abstract concept that’s been floated around since 1998. With the help of a huge volunteer workforce, PBG is shaping up to be the botanical garden that Portland has been looking for for the past several decades.
Milestones
In mid-December 2020, the land acquisition process was well underway and PBG was granted 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. However, the organization was incorporated in January 2020 and we consider this to be the birth date of the organization known as Portland Botanical Gardens. We recognize that the concept has been brewing for years and official work began in early 2019 under a different name: Bridge City Botanical Garden.
Celebrate PBG
Join us in celebrating PBG’s establishment and evolution with our Commemorative Series products. Click here to learn more about our Commemorative Series.
