45th Annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show

Each year, the Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) partners with Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens to showcase some of the best rhodie specimens on the west coast. The 45th annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show will be held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5. The juried show is quite possibly the largest in California with a typical show displaying more than 800 entries and filling the big tent with cascades of color and fragrance.

The Rhododendron Show is free to attend and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to hundreds of individual flower entries, there will be plants, bonsai, photos, floral arrangements, hourly plant raffles, and educational displays. A large selection of rhododendrons and other plants will be available for purchase in the big tent and at the Gardens’ Nursery. Local growers and Noyo Chapter ARS members will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the best plants for your garden.

Regular admission rates apply to visit the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens during the show. The Gardens is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of rhododendrons—many hybridized on the Mendocino Coast—and they promise to fill the formal gardens and woodlands with riotous color. The Gardens’ Rhododendron Collection includes over 124 species and 315 taxa. More than 1,000 rhododendrons can be seen blooming throughout the Gardens from early spring until June!