At Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy, we work to protect rare and vulnerable plants by bringing them into cultivation—before they disappear.

Your membership enables us to propagate some very special plants!

Last month, our Collections Manager Silas Zoeller traveled to Chile on a seed-collecting expedition alongside colleagues from the University of Washington Botanic Garden and Heronswood. Thanks to generous donor support, this was our first post-Covid collecting trip—and the seeds have already arrived safely.

 The Chilean seeds were sown the very same day they arrived.

This is the same care that has grown our collection to include thousands of taxa, representing extraordinary diversity of plants gathered from around the world. Each one is carefully propagated, studied, and shared to ensure it continues to exist for future generations.

This year, you have the opportunity to be part of the Chile seed-collecting story by becoming a member during this spring membership drive.

Your contributions last year made this trip possible, and now the real work begins: germination, careful cultivation, and eventually adding these plants to the living collection and sharing them with botanic gardens, researchers, and home gardeners. If you are already one of our valued members, we invite you to consider increasing your donation to support this important project. Your contribution will ensure the Chilean collection thrives in the Conservancy’s care, and that existing collections are distributed, furthering our conservation mission.

Our work is grounded in these core areas:
Acquisition – sourcing rare plants through expeditions, partnerships, and cultivation
Conservation – propagating and maintaining living collections
Distribution – sharing plants with institutions and the public
Education - in-person events at the Conservancy, webinars and lectures

This spring, our goal is to welcome 60 new members and raise $50,000 to support this work.

Will you join us?

Your membership directly supports plant conservation, research, and the growth of this living collection, with a special focus this year on seed and spores collected last month in Chile

Thank you for being part of this effort!
Sue Milliken, Kelly Dodson, Silas Zoeller & the Far Reaches Crew

P.S. We’re in this for the long haul. Your support makes it possible. Click here to Become a Member

P.P.S. If you recently renewed your membership, thank you!

Upcoming Events at the Conservancy
2026 Hosted Display Garden Tours

We hope you'll join us at an upcoming 2026 FRBC tour! Your guides, Founding Directors Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson will talk on the organization's obsession with plants and conservation. Together with Collections Manager Silas Zoeller, who will share about our plants as seen on his recent trips to Northeast India and to Chile, along with some of all their favorite genera or groups of plants. Each unique tour is an opportunity to show you about what FRBC membership and contributions are doing to conserve the extraordinarily rare plants in our collection. FRBC Garden Tour Reservations

2026 FRBC On Site Hosted Collectors & Display Garden Tours
All Fridays, 10am-Noon & 2-4pm:
April 24  (no PM tour on this day)
May 15
June 19
August 7
September 11

---

FRBC Rare Open Day
The Far Reaches gate will be open to the public
on Saturday April 25. 10am-3pm

---