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Leach Botanical Garden may be one of Portland鈥檚 best-kept secrets, but design plans for its long-term expansion are expected to eventually change that situation.

David Porter, the garden鈥檚 executive director, said about 20,000 visitors come to the garden each year, a number he calls 鈥渕iniscule鈥� compared to, for example, the Japanese Garden in Washington Park, which draws more than 10 times that number.

鈥淣obody鈥檚 heard of (us),鈥� Porter said.

But the garden is on its way to dramatic additions to its existing foot trails through towering Douglas firs with a wide variety of plants, including a vast collection from the Pacific Northwest. The Portland Parks and Recreation and the Portland Development Commission are planning big changes, including a circular elevated walkway, new welcome center, open spaces for large events and several specialty gardens.

Over the years, the city and Portland Metro have added a few acres here and there to a current total of about 17 acres, allowing the city to plan the many new features to attract more visitors. Construction won鈥檛 start until 2017, and will be done in phases, but Porter believes the improvements will help bring in more people.

鈥淥nly one out of six people know about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 an extraordinarily exciting process 鈥� the public facility design process 鈥� and great opportunities to do things that will be affecting the community 100 years from now.鈥�

The design process has been going on for months, and on Oct. 22 the resulting master plan will be presented to a citizens鈥� advisory committee, Porter said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e on a parallel track to also try to make people more aware of the garden and the design process,鈥� he said.

Land Morphology of Seattle was selected to lead the landscape design process, partly because project lead, landscape architect Richard Hartlage, has experience in both designing and managing botanical gardens, Porter said. Architecture firm Olson Kundig of Seattle is in charge of structural design, but all other subcontractors and consultants are from the Portland area.

The garden鈥檚 history goes back to Lilla Leach, a renowned botanist, and her husband, John Leach, a pharmacist. In the early 1930s, the couple bought 4.5 acres that straddle Johnson Creek near Southeast Foster Road and 122^nd Avenue and developed the original garden. The garden opened to the public in 1983.

Lilla and John Leach were avid plant hunters and spent years collecting specimens from all over the Northwest and the Southeast, even discovering new species. At present, the garden includes in its collection more than 2,000 hybrids, cultivars, native and non-native plants, medicinal herbs, rock garden plants, and camellias as well as 125 species of ferns.

John Leach died in 1972 and Lilla followed in 1980. They left the land to the city of Portland with the stipulation that the garden be maintained and improved.

The city has allocated an initial $1.2 million for the expansion, and Porter said the garden will soon begin a capital campaign to raise funds for the eventual build-out of the garden.

Ross Swanson, project lead for the parks department, said the first thing to be built will probably be the elevated walkway, called the Tree Necklace, because it could bring in more visitors as soon as it鈥檚 completed. With a diameter of about 120 feet, the walkway will eventually extend from the upper level of the garden and end up near the Manor House, the former Leach family home. The walkway, which will end up about 30 feet above the ground, likely will be constructed of metal, Swanson said, and will range in width from six to eight feet.

鈥淵ou could take a class down there and teach them,鈥� he said.

Before the higher levels of the garden are developed, the elevated walkway will be accessed by hiking up one of the many trails from the present entrance at the Manor House. But when the upper area is developed, the Tree Necklace will be accessible by wheelchair as will most of the rest of the garden, according to Swanson.

Sandy Fischer, project director and principal at Land Morphology, said she hopes the design of the enhanced garden will bring it the attention it deserves and help it continue its mission to preserve the garden鈥檚 many species and educate the public.

Portland鈥檚 Japanese Garden and the Lan Su Chinese Garden are both botanical gardens, Fischer said, but they are more oriented to a specific culture than Leach Botanical Garden.

鈥淟each is more focused on ecology and the environment, but we would like it to be the third garden of equal stature,鈥� she said.

In its role as a research facility, she said, thoughtful design at Leach Garden can also be a teaching tool.

鈥淲e are hoping that everything is informative,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ike the stormwater gardens in the parking lot could be landscaped in ways so people can see what鈥檚 possible.鈥�

One central future design feature will the Pollinator Meadow, she said, which will have many blooming plants to attract bees.

The Pollinator Meadow will wrap around another proposed feature, the Gathering Green, an event lawn of about 5,000 square feet where festivals and large events can be held.

At the highest point of the garden will be the new entrance and parking lot, as well as a welcome center that will be a multipurpose building with a modular design to allow for rooms to be closed off or enlarged, depending on the need.

Other proposed specialty gardens include an alpine garden, children鈥檚 garden, world garden, a water garden and a psychic garden, which will focus on the relationship between humans and plants, such as medicinal plants and plants used for industrial purposes, such as dyes.

The greenery of the gardens will continue through to the building design, Fischer said.

鈥淭here will be sloped walls that turn into rooftop gardens and we will have display gardens that were intensely developed like an outdoor room,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen we will have gathering spaces where we can host events or classes.鈥�

The dreams of preserving the garden in accordance with the desires of the Leaches also guided the design process, Fischer said.

鈥淲e are moving forward with their values and ethics,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he new building is not in the same style as the Manor House, but it鈥檚 much more sustainable.鈥�

According to the garden鈥檚 website, the design of the new entrance and welcome center will be made up of three structures connected by a tiered green roof and open air walkways to look out over the garden.

Designing for a botanical garden demands using high quality materials, Swanson said, and consultation with experts in horticulture.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a wide diversity of plant species and our commitment to quality is strong,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e doing a streetscape you can use lesser material and it works, but we want that 鈥榳ow 聽factor.鈥� 鈥�

That 鈥渨ow factor鈥� will also be evident in artwork that is being planned as part of the garden鈥檚 design and other design features, including the Tree Necklace.

Designing the addition to the garden is exciting for Hartlage because the topography and flora of the garden is so varied, from riverbank to hilltop.

鈥淎t the Manor House you have the historic zone and a riparian at the creek,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have a full complement of plants native to the Pacific Northwest, like Douglas first and trilliums and it really is a mix of plantings, celebrating plants from around the world, but also the ecology of the region.鈥�

Hartlage said the improvements should have broad appeal and will also do more to enhance the southeast area of Portland, which he said is 鈥渦nderserved鈥� as far as parks are concerned.

Porter is confident that once improvements start coming in, the garden will see a steep increase in visitors, which will help ensure its future.

鈥淲hen we look at economic models (for expanding the garden), I see 42,000 to 44,000 (visitors) in the near term,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that is a number that is not out of reach.鈥�

Project name: Leach Botanical Garden Expansion

Location: 6704 S.E. 122^nd Ave., Portland

Construction start date: 2017

Construction completion date: Undetermined

Owner: City of Portland

Developer: City of Portland Parks and Recreation Department and Portland Development Commission

Landscape Architect: Land Morphology

Architect: Olson Kundig

Engineers: CAPITAL Engineering & Consulting (civil), Hodaie Engineering (mechanical), Lancaster Engineering (traffic), Reyes Electrical Contractors (electrical)

Other associates: GreenWorks (stormwater landscaping), Mitali & Associates (cost estimating), Suenn Ho Design (urban design consultant)Winterbrook (land use consultant)