Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden


Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a botanical garden located between Reed College and the Eastmoreland Golf Course in southeastern Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Description and history

The garden, at Southeast 28th Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard, covers, is named for the numerous springs within the garden. Crystal Springs Garden features more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants in a setting of small lakes, paved and unpaved paths, fountain, and small waterfalls.
The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk year round. From March 1 through September 30, an admission fee is charged Tuesday through Sunday during the hours of 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Pets are allowed on a leash.
The project began in 1950 as a rhododendron test garden on a site previously covered with brush, blackberries, native trees, and the remnants of a Shakespeare theater developed by students of Reed College. In 1964, the park's name was officially changed to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
In addition to the manicured areas that make up most of the garden, patches of less orderly shrubs, upland forest, marsh vegetation, and submerged logs attract wildlife, especially waterfowl, most prevalent in winter. The Rhododendron Society has counted 94 species in the garden, including grebes, herons, ducks, Canada geese, wigeons, gulls, thrushes, nuthatches, hummingbirds, and others.