I had heard through a buddy of mine about Chris and his nursery, Bearberry PDX, in spring of this year. Naturally curious I investigated, finding his website and setting an appointment to visit. I met Chris at his home nursery in early summer. The large patch of milkweed was blooming and the sun radiated across his exposed garden, with the Willamette River in plain sight. There is an immediate connection with plant and microclimate, proving that this gardener understands "right plant, right place."
I've never seen manzanita in Portland thriving as much as the ones Chris has planted.
I have the reputation amongst my friends and family of being a "really nice person" which often can tinge my compliments with a sense of skepticism. So, allow me to be specific with my praise for Hembree. First, Chris is of my generation, he's young and setting to start his own nursery. In a state valued for the generations of horticultural excellence, it's extremely exciting to hear about the youth stepping up and continuing the work. Second, he had worked for a reputable nursery here in Portland, Xera Plants, which one can accurately assume has only furthered his knowledge of plant material, placement, and propagation. Third, the nursery is set within his private garden, adding an intimacy and charm that I've never experienced before.
Overwhelmed with inspiration, I approached Chris about a possible interview and he agreed. We set a date to meet again at his home nursery, Bearberry PDX. The interview took place on August 29, 2026. It was recorded, transcribed, and edited for brevity.
Enjoy.
Tell us about yourself and what brought you to gardening?
I started gardening on the east coast. I lived in New York for many years and first got into gardening with blueberries on my balcony-we were lucky to have a balcony in New York. I became obsessed with growing blueberries, wanting many different varieties. As soon as my husband and I moved to Portland, within the first week or two, I drove to Portland Nursery and bought twenty-something blueberry plants. Within three or so months of living here, the blueberries were gone because I became excited about the garden in Portland. There were so many new plants that I wanted to try out. I still have my blueberry affinity, and I call blueberries my "gateway drug" to gardening. I have five in pots, though every now and then I look at them and think maybe it should be something else. I fell in love with them mostly for the fall color, especially on the east coast with their brilliant reds and purples. But, I've found love for west coast plants like manzanita, which I think is an organic move from blueberries because they are in the same family. It's another big tall shrub that has berries, feeds wildlife, has year round interest, and doesn't require any summer water.
Can you tell us more about your design and planting strategy for the garden?
The drought tolerant aspect is very important for me, economically. Even more so now having a nursery. I water nearly every day; all the nursery pots, especially in the summer. There's absolutely no time for me to water anything else. So everything that is planted in the ground, other than watering to establish the plant, and with the exception of maybe five shrubs, I don't water at all. There's also a time element to my design. I don't have drip irrigation, so when something is getting watered it's me with the hose, or in some cases a watering can. I like to choose plants that are relatively quick to establish because I will be watering them the first summer, but then they are on their own.
Sometimes, plants don't make it. I find out they're not as drought tolerant as I thought they would be and that's okay.
I do plant several things that are scary, and by scary I mean maybe not totally hardy or are of questionable hardiness. I plant those with the backdrop of shrubs and trees that I know will be totally fine and survive. That was I can have both. The 2024 ice storm knocked a lot of plants in my garden out that surprised me, but also many plants survived that surprised me-including some salvias from southern California. So, I try to create spaces in my garden that I consider "play spaces." It's an area that I know will change every few years. It's an intentional practice that plans for the long term but also allows for adventure. When someone is nervous about trying out, for example, a tender salvia, I remind them about how much they might spend on annuals. It's the same concept. Just go for it. You never know, it might work and can be enjoyed over several years. If it doesn't survive, well it's a great excuse to keep shopping for plants. I realize that isn't for everyone but I would personally get bored if I finished my garden with plants that are sure to make it.
I also plant for wildlife and wildlife helps me make decisions. We have bunnies here and one of the reasons I began planting so many salvias is because they don't bother them. Watching nature, seeing wildlife, and enjoying the plants, is what gardening is all about. There are few things ore rewarding than seeing a bird land on a tree that you planted as a little one gallon five years ago.
That doesn't get old.
Are your plantings adaptive to at least four to five months of drought?
Yes, for the most part. There are a few things that appreciate a good soak every now and then. There are some oaks, for example, Quercus turbinella, that I try to give the monsoon conditions that it likes. Sometimes I forget and it's fine, but I've noticed a big difference when it gets the soak it needs. The changing climate in general, I don't know how to say this eloquently, but it just sucks. This past winter was silly in that it was so mild. Some of my plants that originate in California did what they do there, which is to keep growing, whereas in more winters they would die back here in Portland. It was fun but also spooky.
Climate adaptive planting can be loosely defined as designing with plants that might best tolerate extreme weather conditions. Here in Portland we're facing longer periods of drought, the harsh ice storm a few years back, and heat dome events. How are you navigating climate change?
The heat dome was very interesting. It was a crazy event that hasn't happened again, thankfully. Many of the Portland natives that were planted before I bought the house, were fried in the heat dome. Even with water leading up to the even, the Spiraea douglasii, and Ribes sanguineum, completely burned. Salix hookeriana, all the leaves went black. They did all rebound, but I know of other gardeners that were not so lucky. So I do make the argument for including plants that can handle these extreme changes. Not to say, don't plant natives, please do! Clearly I do. Yet, I'd encourage folks to plant with diversity in mind, especially plants from southern regions of the west coast. I'm not an expert. I'm still learning and that's one of the things I enjoy about having a nursery. I get to learn with friends and customers. There are plants that I am growing and selling that I'm not sure how they're going to do moving forwards. I make sure to talk about that with customers, that they are going on an adventure with me. It's part of the fun.
Tell us about Bearberry PDX.
The nursery started in April of this year. I had worked a corporate job, got laid off, and just decided why not. The nursery is something I had been thinking about for many years and it seemed like a good time for me to take the leap. I don't know how this is going to go, but it's been both fun and stressful. The tagline I use for Bearberry is "Western natives and friends." "And friends" does a lot of work here because not all my plants are western natives, and also I enjoy meeting new people.
Bearberry is set amongst my garden and I try to have a good portion of the plants sold come from the garden itself. I like that I can walk twenty feet away with a customer and show them what a plant can look like in five years. I keep that in mind as I'm selecting plants to sell, whether I'm growing them myself or purchasing from a favorite local seller like Xera Plants. With most of the plants I try to stay to my climate adaptive mission. You won't really see plants sold here that need tons of water. Also, you won't see any plants sold here that need shade. I'll always have a few options that can tolerate shade, but certainly not in the same way as other nurseries.
Do you have any current inspirations? Are there any horticultural books that you'd recommend?
I have two book suggestions. "Flowering Shrubs of California and Their Value to the Gardener" by Lester Rowntree. A great book for a manzanita enthusiast. Lester was an incredible botanist and the manzanita directly behind me is named after her. I go back to that book every now and then just for fun. I would also recommend people pick up "Fearless Gardening" by Loree Bohl. She also has a gardening blog called, "Danger Garden." Her book can be very inspirational for new and seasoned gardeners. One of the things that I love is that she gives the reader encouragement to try new things in the garden that can be "scary." For example, by pushing hardiness or growing plants in pots that you wouldn't normally think to do. It's a book that helps foster creativity and I recommend it to everyone.
Advice for gardeners?
Everyone has space for a pot. Be adventurous. Don't be afraid to plant something that may not survive. Keep exploring new plants and mix those with the plants that you love most - manzanitas in my case!
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