Historic Rhododendron Garden Opening to Visitors, May 12

News release BLM.  The historic O.H. Hinsdale Rhododendron Garden, east of Reedsport on Highway 38, will be open to the public for one more Saturday this spring so visitors can enjoy hundreds of blooming rhododendrons, azaleas and trees. The Friends of Hinsdale Garden and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coos Bay District will be on hand to answer questions and give tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 13. “We are excited to be working with the Friends of Hinsdale to give people an opportunity to visit this unique local treasure. It is pretty spectacular when you walk through the garden in full bloom,” said Glenn Harkleroad, the BLM’s Umpqua Field Manager. Those interested in visiting the garden should check-in at the interpretive kiosk at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, just west of the garden, on Highway 38. Due to limited parking, visitors will be shuttled to the garden from the elk viewing area. The BLM, along with the American Rhododendron Society and the Friends of Hinsdale Garden, have worked to restore the garden over the past several years. The garden contains hundreds of rhododendrons and azalea plants, some over 100 years old.  The BLM acquired the rhododendron garden on Spruce Reach Island in 1994. The unique woodland garden is a historic resource that is potentially eligible for inclusion on the Natural Register of Historic Places. Additional information about the open days can be obtained by calling Leslie Peters or Megan Harper of the BLM at 541-756-0100, or by contacting the Friends of the Hinsdale Garden at www.Hinsdale.Reedsport.us.