Garden Hours
April 1-September 30: 6:00am-10:00pm
October 1-March 31: 6:00am-6:00pm

Entrance Fees
Admission is free to all from the day after Labor Day through the month of February.
A $3 admission fee is charged between 10:00am-6:00pm, Thursday through Monday, March through Labor Day.
Admission is free for children under 12 and Friends of Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

All events, including photographic sessions, must be scheduled through the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden Event Coordinator (503-256-2483). Only one photographic session will be scheduled at a time. Fees are calculated based on size of group and hours reserved.

Directions
The garden is located on SE 28 Avenue, one block north of Woodstock, between Eastmoreland Golf Course and Reed College. Or take TriMet bus #19 Woodstock. This bus takes alternating routes as it goes through Eastmoreland; ask the driver for the stop nearest the Garden.

Annual Events
The first Saturday in April is our Early Show with several hundred trusses of early blooming rhododendrons. There is an even larger display on Mother's Day weekend. For more info, call 503-771-8386.

Volunteers
Volunteers from the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, the Friends of Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, and the Master Gardeners program care for the grounds and are responsible for all education programs and special events. Regular volunteer work parties take place every Wednesday, February through November. There are also volunteer days on selected Saturdays. New volunteers are always welcome. For more info, call 503-775-5205.

Friends of Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
The Friends, an auxiliary of the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, is dedicated to maintaining Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden as a year-round place of great beauty. Friends enjoy free admission for themselves and one guest. Membership applications are available at the gate, or call 503-771-8386.

The development of a display and test garden was initiated in 1950 by the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. Sam Jackson, owner of the Oregon Journal, had donated 27 acres on Terwilliger Blvd for the garden, but the site was deemed unsuitable because of its steep terrain. Claude I. Sersanous, one of the group assigned to select a new site, suggested the garden's present location near Reed College. Referred to as Shakespeare Island by Reed College students because of the Shakespearean plays that had been performed there, it was abandoned and overgrown with brush and blackberries. Through the efforts of chapter memebers and other volunteers, and with the support of Park Superintendent C.P. Keyser, the garden flourished. In 1964, the garden was officially named Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

Originally, the garden was developed as a test garden, which meant that new rhododendrons could be evaluated over a period of several years. Lack of security and adequate protection made this impractical and the concept was dropped. The original garden, on what is now called the Island, was designed by Mrs. Ruth Hansen, a landscape architect and Chapter member. The portion of the garden known as the Peninsula was designed by Wallace K. Huntington, a well-known Portland landscape architect, and was dedicated in 1977.

The more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants in the Garden have all been donated by volunteers and interested individuals, or purchased with specially donated funds. Beginning in early spring and continuing into summer, they provide a magnificent display of color, giving visitors the opportunity to view many varieties rarely seen in the Pacific Northwest. During the fall, many companion trees add dramatic coloring. Spring-fed Crystal Springs Lake surrounds much of the garden, attracting many species of birds and waterfowl.

The care of the plants and general garden maintenance is provided by a devoted group of volunteers from the Portland Chapter and the Master Gardener program who work every Wednesday from February to November. Portland Parks & Recreation staff mow the lawns, do the manual irrigation, empty the trash cans, and keep the restrooms in good condition.