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 wonderful depth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm among our members.

I am looking forward to the year ahead.

My gardening life has also entered a new chapter.

Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Diane Allen's House, Cobble Hill

Please confirm your attendance by clicking “Attending” so we can plan for seating and light refreshments.

Joining the local chapter of a rhododendron society can be the first step in an ever increasing and ever expanding experience. 

Please, however, do not view membership as an evening once a month, ten-months-a-year opportunity to discuss rhododendrons.

You will not be getting the utmost value for your membership dollar if you stay standing at the ‘window’ looking out.

Just north of Victoria on the craggy Malahat, noted for panoramic scenery and arbutus trees, a third-generation Vancouver Islander reached into his back pocket and found enough money to buy a mountain. He laid out a subdivision of the sort where quality mattered most. For a long time, it looked as if he'd lose his plaid shirt. In the economic downturn of the early 1980s, the 10-acre lots sat unsold while costs went into space orbit.

So join me in this article series as I create a “Rhodo Care-Calendar” with the expertise of CVRS members who have the experience and knowledge to guide us through the seasons of caring for rhododendrons in the Cowichan Valley.

The month for Summer Picnics and Celebrations

Rhododendron ‘Rose Tango’ Jim Barlup Hybrid

As many of you know, our recent Open Garden Tour at Verna Buhler’s beautiful Echoes of Nature garden was a great success, both socially and financially. The event not only provided a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for rhododendrons and gardening with the public, but it also helped offset the hospitality costs we incurred while hosting the ARS Tour of Cowichan Valley Gardens, featuring the gardens of Verna Buhler and George Morgen, Al and Liz Murray, and Elisabeth Zoffmann. Thanks to the excellent turnout of 131 visitors and their donations, the 16 May public tour successfully covered our cost overrun.

Summer Picnic and Annual General Meeting

Saturday, June 20, 2026
11am - 3pm

Home of Verna Buhler and George Morgen
3908 Cowichan Lake Road,
North Cowichan, B.C.

May is a peak flowering period for rhododendrons; several CVRS members opened their private gardens for friends to enjoy.

Deciduous azaleas drew the attention of many guests during the garden tours in May. When in bloom in spring, they light up the gardens. In summer, they blend into the greens; in fall, they dazzle with brilliant shades of red and yellow foliage; in winter, they are bare and humble once again.

Many hostas are still turning up that are infected with a virus called Hosta Virus X (HVX). The most commonly seen ones are plants of 'Gold Standard', 'Striptease', and 'Sum and Substance', but other common varieties are being reported infected in large numbers. No hostas are immune to HVX.

Please take note and prevent your Hosta from looking like this in four years. I regret postponing the little indicators of the HVX virus four years ago.

That time is now! If you attended the CVRS Pruning Workshop on May 9th, you have probably already cleaned and sharpened your tools and begun.

During a garden tour in May, one coniferous tree drew guests around it. They were pointing ‘plant identifier’ apps on their cameras to it and comparing their results. They appreciated the dramatic, stately, pyramidical form, and the full skirt of lower branches that arched gracefully out and down, and the plentiful, prominent cones that hung from the limbs.

Right next to a rhododendron that has given its all only weeks ago, and is now ready for deadheading, pinching and pruning, is a lovely colourful shrub earning its rightful turn in the garden.

PLANT SALE and GARDEN TOUR MONTH

Rhododendron ‘Starbright Champagne’ hybridized by the outstanding Whidbey Island gentleman, Frank Fujioka

Every successful volunteer organization has its public moments: the well-attended event, the beautiful garden, the busy plant sale, the polished newsletter, the community tour, the boisterous Christmas party, or the fundraiser that exceeds expectations. These achievements are often described as the work of a committee or a few visible leaders. But behind every success is a larger story: the quiet, generous, and often unseen labour of volunteers.

The regular Wednesday monthly meeting for May 2026, has been changed to Saturday, May 9, 2026. This meeting will be a workshop on pruning rhododendrons — when, why, and how. The Pruning Workshop will include both theory and hands-on instruction.

On Thursday, April 23rd, guests toured three Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society members’ private gardens and enjoyed an outstanding luncheon in one of the gardens, catered by Step Up Catering.

Following the April 23rd CVRS garden tours for the American Rhododendron Society Convention, Sandy and I joined a group of convention attendees for a preregistration dinner at Qualicum Beach.  Among the diners were a number of notable people within the rhododendron community, who Sandy and I have known for many years.