BELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY
Mission Statement: Perpetuate and further enhance the Bellevue Botanical Garden as a learning resource in partnership with the City of Bellevue.
Objectives
About the Society
Fund Raising: Develop a multi-level fund raising plan and fund raising literature to support BBGS programs, events, projects and endowment fund.
Membership: Broaden and support membership and volunteer growth for all ages and interest levels.
Administration and Records: Organize the BBGS records and administration to assist in the orderly operation of the garden and the Society.
Garden Development and Maintenance: Guided by the master plan, assist the City of Bellevue to develop the BBG into a resource of regional and international renown.
Public Relations and Promotion: Increase public awareness of BBG. Support the City of Bellevue in making BBG an attractive destination for public enjoyment and passive recreation.
The Society is an all-volunteer organization governed by a board of directors. Directors are elected by the membership and serve three-year terms. Elections are held at the annual membership meeting in August. Officers of the Board are elected by the directors at the first meeting following the annual membership meeting. Officers serve one-year terms.
Various committees handle the daily activities of the Society. Each is manned by unpaid volunteers. Some of the major committees include education, finance, and resource development. In addition, numerous sub-committees handle more specific projects.
In 1932 a Mr. VonBuskirk from Montana built a log cabin adjacent to the site of the present Visitor Center. 1947 the log cabin, complete with cherry orchard, chicken house, pigpen and barn, was purchased by Calhoun and Harriet Shorts. The Shorts tried their hand at farming. At various times they raised chickens, steers, rabbits and goats, in addition to a vegetable garden. Cal tended his plastics business and added rhododendrons to the garden.
By 1957 the log cabin was under siege by the ravages of age and insects. It was replaced by a new Paul Kirk-designed home, complete with atrium garden. The garden surrounding the new home continued to grow and expand. It included a recirculating pond (renovated in 1992 and located above the Shorts Ground Cover Garden) and an ever increasing collection of rhododendrons.
In 1984 the Shorts deeded their home and seven acres of gardens to the City of Bellevue to become a public park. In the same year the Bellevue Botanical Garden society was formed to promote the use of the Shorts property as a botanical garden. In 1989 the Bellevue City Council set aside 17 acres for the botanical garden, including the Shorts property. Another 19 acres south of the garden was set aside as a botanical reserve.
Cal Shorts, 1999
During 1993, the Fuchsia Garden was expanded to twice its original size; the Paisley Bed was installed west of the Sharp Cabin and was adapted from a Lake Washington Technical college horticulture class design project; the Puget Sound Dahlia Society installed a summer dahlia display; and the King County Herb Society assisted with the creation of the Knot Garden.
In 1994 the Waterwise Garden (Water Conservation Demonstration Garden), a cooperative effort of the Bellevue Parks and Utilities Departments, was opened to the public. The planting and maintenance of the Waterwise Garden is done by a volunteer corps. The East Lake Washington District of the Garden Clubs installed the Wildflower Garden along the Lake-to-Lake Trail on Main Street. The Perennial Border was expanded by the Northwest Perennial Alliance to include separate shade and sun borders. In 1997 the Alpine Rock Garden was opened.
In the brief time since opening, the Bellevue Botanical Garden has become a major center for gardening activity. A number of gardening and horticultural groups contribute volunteer hours and funding to make it grow. Thousands of visitors from the local area and around the world have enjoyed its beauty. Its history is but a beginning.
