Illahe Rare Plants is a grower-operated specialty nursery in Salem, Oregon that grew out of passion for horticulture, combined with a love of the mountains and a concern for the environment. We select the toughest plants for changing climate conditions, utilize harvested rainwater, solar energy, and biodynamic production principles. Our goal is to help build sustainable, beautiful gardens as the climate continues to change.
Mark Akimoff is the owner and head grower at Illahe Rare Plants.
Mark’s early interest in plants was fostered by spending summers with his grandparents who both had indelible green thumbs with a beautiful garden and fruit orchard. Having grown up in a horticultural family, Mark started working with plants at a young age as a nursery hand for his uncle that grew palm trees for the landscape industry on Kauai.
Mark would go on to study biotechnology at Montana State University until he decided to move back to Oregon to study horticulture at Oregon State University. In 2001, Mark graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture Science.
After graduating from OSU, Mark was hired as the propagator for the legendary Rae Selling Berry Botanic Garden where he mentored under Jack Poff and many of Portland’s horticultural legends. Mark would go on to have a successful 25-year career as a professional horticulturist that spanned large scale wetlands, riparian and environmental restoration projects for government, estate gardening and groundskeeping to teaching horticulture at the community college.
While Mark’s personal interests in plants runs wide, propagation has always been a specialty, especially of rare and difficult plants. Mark’s passion for rock gardens and alpine plants often has him exploring in the high country for wildflowers. In the gardens at Illahe Rare Plants, Mark trials dryland and xeric plants looking for the best plants to better help gardeners create a garden that is able to thrive in a changing climate.