There is always something in bloom at the The O. Howard Hinsdale Garden on Spruce Reach Island in Reedsport, Oregon. The garden boast a rich history, deeply intertwined with the early introduction of rhododendrons to Oregon. Every flower has a story, even if the origins of many of the thriving rhododendron, azalea, magnolia, and camellia species still remain a mystery.

O. Howard Hinsdale was an avid outdoorsman who came to Oregon to hunt, fish, and garden. With a passion for horticulture, the Hinsdale family traveled the world collecting plants to add to their garden. Hinsdale also spent much of his free time in Portland, sourcing camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, and magnolias from private gardens. The earliest rhododendrons planted at Hinsdale Gardens were large-leaf varieties introduced in the early 1940s. Among the species were R. Discolore, R. Fictolacteum, R. Falconeri, and R. Sinogrande.

Many of these rhododendrons are believed to have been cultivated by James Barto, a pioneer in rhododendron propagation in Oregon. After his death in December 1940, his wife, Ruth Lamson Barto, sold several of his plants to the Hinsdale family. Sadly, Barto passed away from cancer before the R. lacteum and R. falconeri seedlings he had raised bloomed for the first time near the Hinsdale home.

In the late 1940s, O. Howard Hinsdale’s mother, Evangeline N. Hinsdale, relocated from her home on Spruce Ridge Island to the Portland area. Following her move, O. Howard directed the Gardiner Lumber Company to expand the family home—adding a new wing on the south side and enlarging the existing east and west wings. To prepare for relocating the Spruce Ridge house, Hinsdale felled the existing crabapple trees and had the entire structure lifted onto a new foundation using jacks, effectively removing it from the original flood zone.

By 1951, Hinsdale turned his focus to garden design and planting. He developed an eight-acre garden that stretched from Highway 38 to the riverbank, surrounding the family home. Inspired by English countryside woodland gardens from the early 20th century, the layout featured plantings along the borders of the main drive and in island beds throughout the landscape.

Two of the rhododendrons found in the garden are among the earliest planted in Oregon. The first rhododendrons in the state were brought to Portland in the 1890s for a major display at the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition. After the exposition, the Portland Parks Department used some of the plants for a roadside exhibit, while others were gifted to wealthy private individuals.

O. Howard and Jane Hinsdale opened their garden to the public for the first time on April 27, 1958, to support Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in Gardiner. In the 1960s, the Hinsdales divorced. Jane remained on Spruce Ridge Island for several years, while O. Howard remarried Elizabeth Fields and moved to Portland. Together, O. Howard and Elizabeth planted a second rhododendron garden in the Portland area.

After O. Howard Hinsdale’s death on February 3, 1987, the gardens were inherited by his wife, Elizabeth Fields Hinsdale. A decade later, in 1997, the gardens were sold to the Bureau of Land Management by O. Howard Hinsdale Jr., the couple’s son.

Sources:

Hammond, John M, and Gordon  K Wylie. “Spruce Reach Island:  The Oregon Coast’s Secret Rhododendron Garden: The Hinsdale Estate, Dean Creek,  Near Reedsport .” Journal of The American Rhododendron Society. 

Further Resources:

Matt. “Historic Rhododendron Garden Opening to Visitors, April 14 - Community Plus.” Community Plus - Best Source of News, Photos, Calendar and Videos - Powered by EPUERTO, 14 Apr. 2017, oregontoday.net/historic-rhododendron-garden-opening-visitors-april-14-2017/ 

World, The. “Hinsdale Rhododendron Garden Open for Tours in April and May.” The Coos Bay World, 31 Mar. 2023, theworldlink.com/news/local/hinsdale-rhododendron-garden-open-for-tours-in-april-and-may/article_5f790eba-cf9a-11ed-afd2-67a06828a662.html 

Colette. “Hinsdale Rhododendron Garden: Reedsport.” My South Lane, 25 Jan. 2020, mysouthlane.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/hinsdale-rhododendron-garden/ 

“Visit.” Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, rhodygarden.org/visit/