Your eyes find one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and azaleas in the world, in a garden that embodies Portland's identity as the Rose City and extends it into a broader celebration of Pacific Northwest flowering plants. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden was established in 1917 on land beside Crystal Springs Lake, a natural feature fed by underground springs that maintain the lake at a constant temperature year-round, which keeps it from freezing and creates habitat for resident ducks, Canada geese, and great blue herons. The garden holds more than 2,500 plants representing over 600 species and hybrid varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas, collected over more than a century by the Portland chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.
The peak bloom in April and May — when the garden is in full color — draws thousands of visitors who line up to photograph the reflections of flowering shrubs in the lake. The rest of the year the garden is quieter and perhaps more beautiful: the structure of mature rhododendron specimens, some of them fifteen feet tall, and the interplay of the springs, the lake, and the adjacent Reed canyon create a landscape of unusual intimacy in the middle of the urban southeast. Admission is charged during bloom season; at other times the garden is free.