Normal bloom season: January to midsummer When to expect them this year: Late February to midsummer Where to see them: For a few bucks (three on Tuesday and Wednesdays!), behold the wonderland that is Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, founded in 1950. You can also find individual bushes dotting Mt Tabor, Forest Park, and Elk Rock Garden. (First blush: at press time, a rhododendron tree in full sun outside my home window had just started to flower.)
2Rhododendrons
Normal bloom season: January to midsummer When to expect them this year: Late February to midsummer Where to see them: For a few bucks (three on Tuesday and Wednesdays!), behold the wonderland that is Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, founded in 1950. You can also find individual bushes dotting Mt Tabor, Forest Park, and Elk Rock Garden. (First blush: at press time, a rhododendron tree in full sun outside my home window had just started to flower.)
3Trillium
Normal bloom cycle: February to June When to expect them this year: March to June Where to see them: This tri-petal forest dweller comes in a variety of colors and, if left undisturbed, will form large flowering beds over time. Find them growing wild in Forest Park and—in even greater abundance—across Tryon Creek Park. (Don’t pick the flowers! Losing the stem and flower puts undue stress on the rhizome. )
4Trillium
Normal bloom cycle: February to June When to expect them this year: March to June Where to see them: This tri-petal forest dweller comes in a variety of colors and, if left undisturbed, will form large flowering beds over time. Find them growing wild in Forest Park and—in even greater abundance—across Tryon Creek Park. (Don’t pick the flowers! Losing the stem and flower puts undue stress on the rhizome. )
5Crocuses
Normal bloom cycle: February to March When to expect them this year: Early March to April Where to see them: These ubiquitous flowers come in a spectrum of colors: purple, ghost-white, tangerine. If not already blooming, these early bloomers will be soon, poking up through yards and brush alike.
6Crocuses
Normal bloom cycle: February to March When to expect them this year: Early March to April Where to see them: These ubiquitous flowers come in a spectrum of colors: purple, ghost-white, tangerine. If not already blooming, these early bloomers will be soon, poking up through yards and brush alike.
7Crocuses
We’ve heard anecdotal reports of small crocus clusters already popping up across town, so keep a sharp eye on those neighborhood median strips!
8Crocuses
We’ve heard anecdotal reports of small crocus clusters already popping up across town, so keep a sharp eye on those neighborhood median strips!
9Daffodils
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: Mid-March to the end of April Where to see them: These bright yellow or white blooms usually follow on the heels of the crocus. Look for certain varieties to start opening up as early as the first week of March, peaking a few weeks later. If you want to feast your eyes on more than flowerboxes all over town, make your way to Junction City’s Daffodil Festival—scheduled for March 18–19 this year. (The residents along nearby Ferguson Road have planted mile after mile of daffodils.)
10Daffodils
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: Mid-March to the end of April Where to see them: These bright yellow or white blooms usually follow on the heels of the crocus. Look for certain varieties to start opening up as early as the first week of March, peaking a few weeks later. If you want to feast your eyes on more than flowerboxes all over town, make your way to Junction City’s Daffodil Festival—scheduled for March 18–19 this year. (The residents along nearby Ferguson Road have planted mile after mile of daffodils.)
11Tulips
Normal bloom cycle: March to late May depending on the weather When to expect them this year: End of March to late May Where to see them: Best place to see them (if you don’t already have a bed of your own at home) is the Wooden Shoe’s annual Tulip Fest in Woodburn (March 24–April 30)—we’re talking 40 acres of tulips and daffodils to stroll through.
12Tulips
Normal bloom cycle: March to late May depending on the weather When to expect them this year: End of March to late May Where to see them: Best place to see them (if you don’t already have a bed of your own at home) is the Wooden Shoe’s annual Tulip Fest in Woodburn (March 24–April 30)—we’re talking 40 acres of tulips and daffodils to stroll through.
13Cherry Trees
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: End of March to May Where to see them: Cherry trees can be found all over the Portland area with the most famous grove along the river just north of Burnside in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Also try the Albina area, where numerous trees were planted as part of a neighborhood-led beautification project during the 1950s and ’60s. (While many of them have been removed due to age, you can still find many—some old, some new—scattered around the area. )
14Cherry Trees
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: End of March to May Where to see them: Cherry trees can be found all over the Portland area with the most famous grove along the river just north of Burnside in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Also try the Albina area, where numerous trees were planted as part of a neighborhood-led beautification project during the 1950s and ’60s. (While many of them have been removed due to age, you can still find many—some old, some new—scattered around the area. )
15Magnolias
Normal Bloom cycle: March and April When to expect blooms this year: End of March to April Where to see them: Hoyt Arboretum has five different species along their Magnolia Trail. You can also find lovely specimens surrounding the Chinese Garden in the Pearl District. Note: If wet weather holds, woe to early magnolias, whose delicate blooms are susceptible to rain, wind, or water damage. Says Hoyt Arboretum’s Martin Nicholson, “they’ll bloom and petals will get trashed with the wind and the wet. They get blotches on them and they look horrible pretty quickly.”
16Magnolias
Normal Bloom cycle: March and April When to expect blooms this year: End of March to April Where to see them: Hoyt Arboretum has five different species along their Magnolia Trail. You can also find lovely specimens surrounding the Chinese Garden in the Pearl District. Note: If wet weather holds, woe to early magnolias, whose delicate blooms are susceptible to rain, wind, or water damage. Says Hoyt Arboretum’s Martin Nicholson, “they’ll bloom and petals will get trashed with the wind and the wet. They get blotches on them and they look horrible pretty quickly.”
17Dogwood
Normal bloom cycle: April to May When to expect them this year: April to May Where to see them: These understory trees can often be found in many of our local parks, the bright white four petal flowers peeking out from the shade of larger trees. According to Nicholson, since dogwoods tend to bloom a little later then most trees, they have the highest likelihood of sticking to a normal season. A great place to seem them is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial near the Hoyt Arboretum, and also around the Elk Rock Garden. (Reed College also has several species.)
18Dogwood
Normal bloom cycle: April to May When to expect them this year: April to May Where to see them: These understory trees can often be found in many of our local parks, the bright white four petal flowers peeking out from the shade of larger trees. According to Nicholson, since dogwoods tend to bloom a little later then most trees, they have the highest likelihood of sticking to a normal season. A great place to seem them is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial near the Hoyt Arboretum, and also around the Elk Rock Garden. (Reed College also has several species.)
Deluges of snow, then ice, then cold, then more snow, and now rainstorms: an unseasonable, unreasonable winter has Portlanders like me so ready for spring flowers. This time last year, our city saw record warm temperatures—and a bevy of early blossoms—all across the Portland area, making for a spectacular kick-out-the-door to winter.
So, where are this year’s blooms? Sadly, a prognosticating rodent on the East Coast declared another six weeks of winter. Martin Nicholson, curator of the Hoyt Arboretum, backs up the little critter. “The long-range forecasts I’ve seen are calling for a pretty wet March,” he says, “which means we’re not going to see temperatures warm enough to bring us forward into a more normal schedule.”
Nicholson estimates that whole bloomin’ schedule may be three weeks to a month behind a regular year. (Unless, say, March instead brings a serious warm front.)
In this slideshow, we offer a rough guide to when eight popular flowering plants could pop—based on information from Nicholson as well as resident specialists at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden and the bulb bloom experts at the Wooden Shoe (purveyors of the Tulip Festival).
Rhododendrons
Normal bloom season: January to midsummer When to expect them this year: Late February to midsummer
Trillium
Normal bloom cycle: February to June When to expect them this year: March to June
Crocuses
Normal bloom cycle: February to March When to expect them this year: Early March to April
Daffodils
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: Mid-March to the end of April
Tulips
Normal bloom cycle: March to late May depending on the weather When to expect them this year: End of March to late May
Cherry trees
Normal bloom cycle: March to April When to expect them this year: End of March to May
Magnolias
Normal Bloom cycle: March and April When to expect blooms this year: End of March to April
Dogwood
Normal bloom cycle: April to May When to expect them this year: April to May
