The Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden (RSBG) on 22–24 acres is a nonprofit

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

specializing in

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

s in

Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fe ...

. As of 2006 the Foundation's mission is devoted to the conservation, research, acquisition, evaluation, cultivation, public display, and distribution of rhododendron species. The gardens contain over 10,000 rhododendrons, set out as a

woodland garden A woodland garden is a garden or section of a garden that includes large trees and is laid out so as to appear as more or less natural woodland, though it is often actually an artificial creation. Typically it includes plantings of flowering shrub ...

among native

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s. It is adjacent to the Pacific Bonsai Museum.

History

The organization was founded in 1964 by members of the

American Rhododendron Society The American Rhododendron Society (ARS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage interest in, and disseminate information about, the genus ''Rhododendron''. Members' experience ranges from novice to expert. The society provides a ...

(ARS) after a visit to Britain by Dr. Milton Walker. Walker was interested in importing cuttings from the best rhododendron plants in the wild as well as public and private gardens. He learned that he could not import cuttings directly from Europe due to American regulations. Canada allowed imports from Europe. Walker asked the owner of the Royston Nursery, Mary Grieg on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to propagate the cuttings; she worked out an arrangement with the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

to facilitate the process. Evelyn Jack, working with the University, grew the plants for two years and, by agreement, kept one plant for the University and sent the other to Oregon for the Society. The Society kept the plants on Walker's property near

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

until 1971 when they were moved to a Board member's home near

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

. By 1974, after outgrowing several other sites, the collection moved to its current location, provided by Weyerhaeuser Company corporate headquarters at no cost to the Society. In 1976 a membership and volunteer program were developed. The garden was replanted to group species most closely related to each other. In 1980 the garden opened to the public on a limited basis.

Exhibits

In 2010 the RSBG opened the 5,000-square-foot Rutherford Conservatory, a climate-controlled greenhouse open to the public that displays a collection of tropical rhododendrons known as

vireya ''Vireya'' rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' section ''Vireya'' (vireyas) is a tropical group of ''Rhododendron'' species, numbering about 300 in all. Vireyas are native to southeastern Asia and range from Thailand to Australia. Description ''Vire ...

s. The vireya section, which has about 319 species, is found almost entirely in Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippine Islands, Malaysia, Thailand and New Guinea. Some of the vireyas on display in the Rutherford Conservatory are nearing extinction in their native habitat due to

forest degradation Forest degradation is a process in which the biological wealth of a forest area is permanently diminished by some factor or by a combination of factors. "This does not involve a reduction of the forest area, but rather a quality decrease in its c ...

. In addition, other rare plants such as wild orchid species and tree ferns are displayed, all growing together as one would see them in their native habitats that span oceans and continents. The conservatory is named for RSBG volunteer Francis C. Rutherford. Additional areas in the Garden include the Victorian Stumpery, Himalayan Blue Poppy Meadow, Alpine Rockery Garden and Pond Garden. The Garden Gift Shop and Nursery are located within the Garden. It is open to the public daily, except Mondays. As of 2011, the garden had over 10,000 rhododendron plants. Over 700 species from every continent were represented in the garden. By 2019, the garden had become home to 850 of the 1,100 different rhododendron species that presently existed in the world. In 2019 the Weyerhaeuser Company was sold to Industrial Realty Group (IRG) and planned to develop the Woodbridge Corporate Park. RSBG told the '' Federal Way Mirror'' that it was negotiating a new lease and had no plans to go anywhere. The owners of IRG said they are committed to working with RSBG and "have an excellent working relationship" with them.

Research and education

In 2015 a RSBG sponsored tour of India led by Executive Director & Curator Steve Hootman were trapped for two days by a Himalayan landslide. They were able to escape by footpath led by the local police and military. While on the expedition they "recorded about 20 different species of rhododendron in the area, including a newly discovered species". Scientists from

Holden Arboretum The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, is one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, with more than , including devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make up t ...

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...

visited RSBG in 2015 to take samples to investigate physiological diversity among Rhododendron species. They spent a week collecting roots, wood, seeds and cuttings which would take them over a year to analyze.

People

One of the founding members of the society Lawrence Pierce and his wife Isabel Colman Pierce received a gold medal from the

. The

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies ...

named a rhododendron species ''piercei'' for him. The Edinburgh Society named a rhododendron hybrid ''Isabel Piece'' after Isabel Colman Piece. In 2007 the American Rhododendron Society awarded the gold medal to co-director Steve Hootman for his work in conservation and education, calling him one of the "foremost international plant hunters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries ... and among the most knowledgeable people in the world on the genus ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

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References

External links