Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society

10/18/2026

🌸 Some Rhododendrons Are Too Special to Lose!

Have a favourite rhododendron in your garden? Perhaps it's a rare variety, a treasured gift, or a plant you simply can't find at the local garden centre.

Learning to propagate rhododendrons offers an opportunity to preserve those special plants for years to come.

🌿 Discover more about propagation in the CVRS October Rhodo Care Calendar and explore how gardeners can help keep unique rhododendrons growing for future generations.

👉 https://loom.ly/LEqHh0w

Love learning and sharing gardening knowledge? There's a place for you at CVRS!

I planted my first rhododendron 46 years ago, when we got almost an inch of rain a week throughout the summer, keeping all plants and lawns healthy. Now, with drought conditions and water restrictions, what can we do in October to ensure these beautiful plants live on?

10/16/2026

🍂🌸 October Blooms: The Garden Isn't Done Yet!

Summer may be over, but the garden is still putting on a show!

In her latest article, CVRS member Verna Buhler shares 30 October blooms and an important reminder: late-season flowers provide valuable food for pollinators preparing for winter. Leaving a few stems, seed heads, and fallen leaves also gives beneficial insects places to shelter until spring.

🐝 Helping pollinators through autumn means welcoming them back when our rhododendrons bloom next year!

🌸 Think you know your fall flowers? Take Verna's 30-bloom identification challenge and discover a few new garden favourites!

👉 https://loom.ly/JGrmTmE

By helping pollinators make it through the colder months, you’re also supporting the population that will return to your garden in spring, just as your rhododendrons begin to bloom.

10/14/2026

🏔️🌿 When a Gardener Goes Hiking in the Swiss Alps, Every Trail Becomes a Botanical Adventure!

From tiny alpine treasures to trees and shrubs thriving in rugged mountain landscapes, there's plenty to discover when you explore nature through a gardener's eyes!

In October’s featured Tree, Shrub and Perennial article, CVRS member Verna Buhler shares fascinating botanical discoveries from her two-week hiking adventure through Switzerland.

🌿 Take a little armchair adventure with us! Explore through several articles in the October Newsletter, Verna’s discoveries and experience the beauty and diversity of the Swiss Alps through the eyes of a fellow gardener.

👉 October’s Feature Tree, Shrub and Perennial: https://loom.ly/rAa56R8
👉 Rhododendrons in the Switzerland Alps: https://loom.ly/yiMwqeQ
👉 Alpine Trees of Switzerland: https://loom.ly/pUZlPN0
👉 Perennials of the Swiss Alps: https://loom.ly/7alz4uA

We often trailed behind our new friends because we were squatting down identifying, photographing, and closely examining details of the horticultural treasures we found. I was immediately drawn to trees and shrubs, and my sister was noting the tiniest alpine plants. We discovered, shared, and discus

10/12/2026

🌸 Great Gardens Grow Better Together!

What starts with one plant can blossom into a lifelong passion, new friendships, and a whole community that shares your love of gardening!

At the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society (CVRS), you don't have to be a rhododendron expert to belong. Just bring your curiosity, enthusiasm, and a love of growing things!

🌿 As a CVRS member, you'll enjoy:

• Inspiring guest speakers and monthly gatherings
• Garden tours, plant sales, and hands-on workshops
• Gardening knowledge shared by experienced enthusiasts
• Access to the American Rhododendron Society Journal
• Opportunities to connect, learn, and grow alongside fellow gardeners

Membership starts at just $40/year for digital access, or $65/year with a printed journal delivered to your mailbox.

🌱 Not quite ready to join? Come get to know us! Follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or attend a monthly meeting or two. Visitors are always welcome!

Root your passion in a flourishing community of gardeners, friends, knowledge, and learning.

🌸 There's room for you to grow with us!

👉 Become a member: https://www.cowichanrhodos.ca/join

Become a Member! Welcome to the Cowichan Valley Rhododendren Society. Fill out the registration form below to join the membership list. Member fees are due annually and can be paid by cash or cheque at the monthly meeting, or by e-transfer to [email protected]. Once payment is rec...

10/10/2026

🌸 The Art and Science of Creating New Rhododendrons

Behind every new rhododendron hybrid is a story of curiosity, creativity, patience, and a passion for plants.

With thousands of rhododendron species and hybrids offering an extraordinary range of colours, shapes, sizes, and fragrances, what inspires gardeners to keep creating new varieties?

In his article, “A Question of Hybridizing,” Alan Campbell explores the fascinating relationship between nature, creativity, and the dedicated gardeners who spend years developing new rhododendrons.

🐝 From the accidental crosses made possible by busy bumblebees to the patience and vision of passionate hybridizers, Alan offers a wonderful perspective on why these remarkable plants continue to capture our imaginations.

Are hybridizers scientists, gardeners, or artists? Perhaps a little of all three!

🌿 Discover the stories behind the blooms! Read Alan's article and explore the knowledge, experience, and passion shared by members of the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society.

👉 https://loom.ly/VZHGvLw

Love learning about plants and gardening? Join our growing community of curious gardeners and rhododendron enthusiasts!

Article by Alan Campbell What is the purpose of the rhododendron flower? Fundamentally, attraction is the basis of its design. The rhododendron flower is the allure which alters the path of a passing insect.  Mother Nature’s improbable flyer, the Bumble Bee, unwittingly becomes an

10/08/2026

We happily welcomed several potential new members to our monthly meeting tonight as we learn about Hybridizing and Propagating Rhododendrons from expert Lloyd Gilmore. Looking for more scented flowers or brighter, bigger, more colourful blooms, Lloyd is sharing all his tips and tricks.

09/30/2026

🌿 Meet our October presenter, Lloyd Gilmour

With around 40 years of hybridizing experience, Lloyd’s fascination with creating new plants began with Polyanthus, moved into the complex world of Lady Slipper orchids, and eventually found its way to rhododendrons.

Since moving to Victoria in 1994, Lloyd has explored how careful plant selection can bring together desirable traits such as abundant flowers, compact growth, beautiful foliage and even scent.

On October 7, he’ll join the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society to share some of that experience during An Introduction to Hybridizing and Propagating Rhododendrons.

Come discover the thought, science and experimentation that can go into creating and growing a rhododendron.

🌸 Members and anyone curious about joining CVRS are welcome.
Rhododendron Propagation Presentation
📅 Wednesday, October 7 | 7–9 p.m.
📍 The HUB at Cowichan Station, Duncan

09/30/2026

🌸 Beautiful rhododendrons in spring often start with what you do months earlier.

Rhododendrons have their own rhythm throughout the year, from new growth and flower-bud development to the quieter months when the plant prepares for another season.

So, when should you fertilize? When is it safe to prune? What should you watch for as the weather changes?

Our Rhododendron Care Calendar offers a month-by-month guide to help take some of the guesswork out of caring for these remarkable plants.

🌿 See what your rhododendrons need throughout the year. Join us as we explore rhodo care through our monthly newsletter:
https://loom.ly/DTa_SvM

09/28/2026

🌿 What happens when you leave a much-loved garden behind and start again?

For CVRS President Tricia Guiguet, it meant trading a large garden filled with treasured plants for a much smaller space, with 70 plants waiting in pots.

In just five months, a challenging patch became what Tricia calls her “instant garden.”

In this month’s President’s Message, she shares the experience of starting over, gardening on a smaller scale, and finding new possibilities in a new space.

🌸 Read “A New Chapter in the Garden”:
https://loom.ly/HpgDn7w

I am honoured to be taking on the role of president of the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society. I hope to carry on the excellent work of those who have come before me and to help keep CVRS the welcoming, active, and enjoyable society it has become. It is a big challenge, but fortunately we have a w

06/04/2026

🌸 Some colours simply refuse to be photographed. 📷 💜

"Standing in the garden this morning, I found myself once again trying to capture the incredible purple-blue blooms of Rhododendron ‘Florence Parkes’. Every photo falls short. The camera sees purple, but in person, there is a richness and depth to the blue that seems to exist somewhere between colour and light.
Tucked quietly behind the fragrant blooms of ‘Point Defiance’, it almost feels like a hidden treasure. One of those garden moments that rewards slowing down, looking a little closer, and appreciating something that can only truly be experienced in person."
–Verna Buhler, CVRS Member

Do you have a similar Rhodo in your garden that evades its true colours in photos? We would love to see them, and if anyone has any tips or apps they use to capture the true colours, let us know in the comments.