Hoyt Arboretum, with its temperate Pacific Northwest climate, is one of the few places on earth where such a wide variety of trees and plant life can grow.   The Arboretum's plant collection is made up of over 6,000 individual trees and plants, representing over  1,000 species, many of which are accessible and well-labeled.

Most of the collection is arranged in family groups, so that you will find all the oaks in one area and all of the redwoods in another, for example.  This grouping by scientific classification, or taxonomic arrangement, was in vogue when the Arboretum was laid out in the late 1920’s.

While the Duncan Plan remains the foundation for the Arboretum’s collections, the planting plan was updated in 2002 by the “Family Plan...”  As new plantings are made and old plantings replaced, the updated Family Plan guides the selection and placement of all new trees and plants.   

Behind the scenes, a Collections Policy mandates that all new plantings have pedigree, meaning that they be grown from seeds collected in the wild with documentation as to where the seeds originated.  Exceptions are occasionally made for highly unusual specimens.

The Arboretum also has some plantings that are more garden-like in setting. The Visitor Center features palms, yuccas, and evergreen oaks - all plants that are seldom seen in Portland. The Winter Garden hosts trees and shrubs that have winter interest.  Plants along the Bristlecone Pine Trail are arranged according to geographical origin.

~ About Hoyt Arboretum

~ About Hoyt Arboretum Friends

~ Plant Collections

~ Plant Inventory

~ Labels

~ Duncan Plan

~ Family Plan

~ Seasonal Highlights