Rhododendrons take center stage the first weekend in May
Did you know that some flowering plants have a sense of fun?
Take rhododendrons: While most bushes create the same color blooms over and over, suddenly, for reasons that humans are unlikely to ever understand, a bush that previously only made white flowers decides to make a pink one.
“Oftentimes, rhododendrons and other plants will put out a different color, like a red one will put out a pink one, or a pink one might put out a white one, and they call that a `sport,'” said Dennis McKiver, president of the Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, as he led a group around the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens last Friday afternoon.
When someone in the group asked why the plants would suddenly just make a different color, McKiver said it was likely a “genetic mutation that takes place, and the chromosomes that regulate color just decide to put out another one.”
To learn even more interesting facts about rhododendrons, you can join the last Rhododendron Walk this spring on Friday, April 26, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., which will have McKiver talking about the gardens' “more than 124 species of rhododendrons and 315 taxa, many of them developed by the region's prolific, enthusiastic, and generous rhododendron growers.”
Joining the walks is free once you have paid for admission, but “availability for each tour is limited (so it is recommended to arrive) a bit early to secure a spot on the tour.”
Then, the first weekend in May, the 45th annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show, described as “the largest in California with a typical show displaying more than 800 entries,” will be held at the gardens on May 4 and 5.
Staff at the gardens welcome everyone “to enter their rhododendrons and azaleas in the show (and are asked to) bring their trusses to the big tent to the south end of the Gardens' main parking lot on Thursday, May 2, between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, May 3, between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.”
Along with the other awards, two new trophies will be handed out this year: “the Noyo Chapter Youth Trophy for entrants ages 18 and under; and the Ted Steinhardt Memorial Trophy, which honors a beloved member of the Noyo ARS and gives you a chance to compete for “Best Foliage.”
Check www.noyochapterars.org for more information on entering.
The Rhododendron Show is free to view and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Gardens will also be open during the show, with regular admission rates applying.