our blog
Late-Summer Update: 2021
Summer is coming to an end. After several severe heat waves and an extended drought, fall will soon arrive. Fall is a busy season for Friends activities in the park, with new Free the Forest and Walking Tour events now posted in calendars under Activities on the...
Mid-Summer Update: 2021
Anemone Summer is in full swing at the park. Volunteers continue to weed, mulch and otherwise beautify the Rhododendron Garden on Tuesday mornings and the Native Plant Garden on Thursday mornings. New gravel has been spread on the loop trail around the main lawn, a...
What’s Bloomin’: June 2021
Elf Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia, commonly called mountain laurel, is a multi-stemmed, broadleaf, evergreen shrub that is native to Eastern North America (New England south to the Florida panhandle). It is found in a variety of habitats, including open rocky...
Volunteer Update: June, 2021
Over the past past month, volunteers in the Rhododendron Garden have made great headway weeding beds along Skyline Dr and in the McCready Arbor area. They freed several rhododendrons, big and small, from encroaching snowberry. Others have spread yards of mulch around...
Wildflower of the Month: June, 2021
Oregon Sunshine Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum) lives up to its name, with abundant, inch-wide yellow flowers in early summer. Look for it in the sunniest parts of the native plant garden, north of the picnic shelter. It is easy to grow in home gardens if...
What’s Bloomin’: May, 2021
Clematis montana "Rubens" What a treat to see this draping wall of flowers in the spring. Hanging from the White Oak at the center of the main lawn of the Rhododendron Garden, it has undoubtedly played a prominent role in many family portraits. It's very happy where...
Volunteer Update: May, 2021
It’s remarkably beautiful right now at Hendricks Park. The rhododendrons and companion plants are bursting with color, native plants are slowly unveiling themselves, and the trees are fuller with every passing day. The first park-wide volunteer May Day celebration was...
Wildflower of the Month: May, 2021
Oregon Iris (Iris tenax) The beautiful blue Oregon iris (Iris tenax) is well-represented in the Native Plant Garden at Hendricks Park. You will also see hybrid native irises there - some in startling shades a long way from blue. The many iris species in the...
What’s Bloomin’: April, 2021
Dinosaur Food Gunnera Visit the boggy-area near Rock Creek to see this LARGE-leafed, water-loving plant, looking like something out of the Jurassic. This is a good one for families with young kids. The leaves on this plant are bigger than some of the kids. A bit...
Volunteer Update: April, 2021
This past month has been a busy time in the Rhododendron Garden. With spring arriving, there has been weeding galore throughout the garden. This included areas around Rock Creek where some volunteers pulled celandine, while others removed tired-out rushes. The beds...