NHS History

1966-Present

It’s interesting to contemplate that sixty years ago Betty Miller gathered with fifteen of her dedicated and determined gardening friends to launch “The Friends of Washington Arboretum, Inc”, the organization that was later to become the Northwest Horticultural Society. The newly created horticultural organization was originally created to support the community outreach of the Arboretum, and the fund-raising of the organization was done on behalf of the Arboretum.

Over the next six years the organization grew and when the focus began changing to proposing the development of what has become the Center for Urban Horticulture, the name of the organization was changed to the Northwest Ornamental Horticulture Society. The reason for this change of focus was to better serve graduate students and faculty, specifically in the newly emerging science called “urban horticulture.”

In 1975 $35,000 was donated to the University to develop a conceptual master plan for the “Union Bay Arboretum.” At the tenth anniversary, when the membership had grown from 15 to 500, the UW president toasted Mrs. Miller for her inspiration and leadership. She responded, “We enter our second decade with dedication and pride and anticipation of even more stimulating programs reaching even more people and involving them in the fascinating world of plant life.” An endowment fund was also begun at this time to fund scholarships and grants.

In the mid 1980’s the Center for Urban Horticulture became a reality with Merrill Hall opening in 1984 and the Elisabeth C. Miller Library in 1985. We would like to share with you a brief excerpt of an article about the Center for Urban Horticulture by George Barnecut, Jr., Puget Soundings/April 1985:

“Columbia Seafirst Center may be the year’s most obvious monument to our region’s feisty, resurgent spirit. But out on the muddy swale of the former Montlake dump a comparatively small, low-slung structure represents the genesis of an equally bold enterprise, one with a destiny of far- reaching local, national, and, perhaps, international significance. It is R.D. Merrill Hall, the first completed building and headquarters facility for the University of Washington’s new multi-million- dollar, fifty-five acre Center for Urban Horticulture….

“The evolution of the Center for Urban Horticulture, the first teaching/research complex of its type in the United States, is an interesting chronicle. At a time when the University is making budget reductions and eliminating degree programs, the expansion of its horticultural department is, to some, an astonishing development. Nonetheless, University savants justify the project by pointing to the fact that the bulk of the initial funding has come from private, not public, purses. And, indeed, the story of the Center for Urban Horticulture is very much a personal story, much of it centering around a gutsy, determined group of women who knew what they wanted, and went after it.”

In 1985 the organization’s name was change to the present name, Northwest Horticultural Society, and our primary fund-raising focus continues to be the support of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, and the UW graduate scholarship program and our grant programs. Additionally, NHS provides educational opportunities for members and the public through an on-going series of lectures, symposiums, classes and tours.