- You walk in this gate and you're away from all that traffic and that chaos.

And we're in our little paradise.

This garden was founded by the Rhododendron Society in 1950.

There are at least 2000 different types of rhododendrons on this property.

It's a great big flower.

There's many colors, purple, yellow, orange, but then there's all variations of that.

I mean, there's so much variety and that's why we tell people, "Why do you need any other plant in this whole wide world?"

Some of them smell really good and there's all different flavors of smell.

All different kinds.

That's why you never get sick of rhododendrons.

There's always one more.

(water trickling) William S. Ladd, who was one of the founders of the city owned all this land and he called it Crystal Springs Farm because of all the springs around here.

(water rushing) There's a big aquifer underneath the ground here and there's at least 14 or so springs that they know of.

I don't know, you could walk through here in a half an hour if you wanted, but if you're gonna enjoy it, you can spend all day.

(gravel crunching) You walk down the paths and you're surrounded by rhododendrons taller than you are all blooming all different colors and it smells so good.

(birds calling) The birds chirping and the squirrels running past you.

It's a nice, tranquil place.

(ducks quacking) (birds calling) Well, there's at least 80 different species of birds that have been seen here.

People come here and they say, "I can relax here."

You got the water and the sound of the geese and sometimes the sound of the train going by.

(birds calling) I like that, some people don't, but I do.

It is maintained by the people who volunteer.

Every Wednesday since 1950, people have gathered here from February until November.

And it's master gardeners and neighbors and Rhododendron Society people, I mean, people who love the garden.

Done that for 65 years.

We talk about it as The Rhododendron Society's gift to the city and to the people of the city.

(birds calling) It is open 365 days a year, but a lot of people still don't know it's here.

But that's okay.

I mean, if it was too many people it wouldn't be too fun either.

(birds calling) - Great people just doing their thing in their own northwesty way.

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