History of the Garden

The Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society initiated the development of a display and test garden in 1950.

The Jackson family donated 27 acres on Terwilliger Boulevard for the garden, but the steep terrain made the site unsuitable. Claude I. Sersanous, one of the group assigned to select a new site, suggested the garden's present location in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of southeast Portland near Reed College. Referred to as Shakespeare Island by students at Reed because of the plays performed there, the roughly five-acre site was abandoned and overgrown with brush and blackberries.

Through the efforts of the Portland Chapter and other volunteers, and with the support of Portland Park Superintendent C.P. Keyser, the garden flourished. Established in 1950 by special ordinance from the Portland City Council, the property was to be jointly maintained and administered by the Portland Parks and Recreation Department and the American Rhododendron Society (later the Portland Chapter, specifically). The first planting started in October 1950 with the transplanting of two 40-year-old hybrid Cynthia rhododendrons, which were donated from the home of Mr. Keyser in memory of his late spouse Aimee.

Upon dedication of the garden on May 5, 1951 as the ARS Crystal Springs National Test Garden, the City of Portland granted stewardship of the remaining areas of the property (now known as the peninsula and the entry garden) to the ARS for development. During these early years, the public portion of the garden was limited to test garden on the original site.

The original garden, on what is now called the Island, was designed by Ruth Hansen, a landscape architect and member of the Portland Chapter. The first rhododendron show held at Crystal Springs was reportedly in 1953 in a makeshift structure. Some say as many as 25,000 people attended that ten day show.

In 1955, the garden’s operating stewardship transferred to the newly formed Portland Chapter of the ARS and the garden was renamed the Crystal Springs Lake Island Test Garden. 1956, the show was held in the newly constructed cool house. The cool house would later be converted to an exhibit hall and that remains its purpose today.

The garden saw its last name change in 1964 when the 'test’ element of its purpose was dropped and it became a woodland rhododendron display garden: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

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 rocks used to build the waterfalls and other features were gathered from Mount Hood and Mount Adams. The garden paths were redesigned in the 1990’s and early 2000’s to bring the park into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Most primary routes through the garden are now accessible by wheelchair.

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 or from the profits of the two annual sales that support the garden. Beginning in early spring and continuing into summer, the plants 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 and plants add dramatic coloring. Spring-fed Crystal Springs Lake surrounds much of the garden, attracting many species of birds and waterfowl. The site provides a beautiful backdrop for the many weddings held here. The garden is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year.