The history of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

HPSO started in the 1970’s, when Marvin Black, a Seattle horticulturist, on a gardener’s exploration of England, discovered Great Britain’s Hardy Plant Society. Marvin was impressed with the organization’s possibilities and turned to his gardening friends for support in organizing the first American Hardy Plant Society.  In June of 1980, this group sponsored the first Pacific Northwest Hardy Plant Society Study Weekend at Edmonds Community College.

Eventually, a group of Oregonians, tired of traveling to Seattle for garden events, met with Marvin to plan the beginnings of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Started by a small group of friends in 1984, HPSO grew to nearly 2,000 members by 1995 and surpassed 2,100 members by 2012.

The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon has subsequently inspired the development of several other gardening groups, not just in the Pacific Northwest, but here and there throughout the USA. There are now Hardy Plant groups in both the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic regions.