Welcome to the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society (CVRS) based in Duncan, British Columbia on southern Vancouver Island. We are affiliated with the American Rhododendron Society and the BC Council of Garden Clubs. Our Society has about 60 members from the local area who are passionate about Rhododendrons. Rhododendron means “rose tree” in Latin.
The CVRS publishes monthly newsletters and hosts monthly meetings with educational speakers, presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops. Newsletters are posted each month and contain valuable information on many gardening topics, and in-depth information about the culture of rhododendrons. Monthly meetings are held in-person on the first Wednesday of each month at The Hub in Cobble Hill.
Tours of private, local and regional gardens offered to CVRS and affiliate American Rhododendron Society members are popular activities, as are workshops such as propagating rhododendrons from cuttings or seeds.
Our members willingly share their amazing knowledge of rhododendrons and companion plants with others. They also share and exchange special plants from their gardens with one another. This year, several special outdoor activities are being planned that will allow members to gather together to enjoy their shared passions.
Every year, the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society holds a Plant Sale inviting the general public to purchase often hard-to-find rhododendrons and other plants to beautify their gardens. The Plant Sale is also the venue for the Rhododendron Truss (flower) show. Watch for it this spring in April or May.
Most years, the CVRS selects a local community garden to which it donates large beautiful rhododendron plants. In other years, it offers donations to organizations such as the Greig Rhododendron Species Garden at Milner Gardens and Woodlands on Vancouver Island, and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, which protect and promote the genus Rhododendron.
We would love to have you join our society, meet new friends, and have fun learning about rhododendrons and other plants. Read one or more of the newsletters and send us an email in the contact section.
View our Chapter’s Constitution and By-Laws
View the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society Constitution and By-Laws.
View 25-Year History of our Chapter
Ian Efford has published the “Rhodo Book” (December 2013). This book contains a 25-year history of the Cowichan Valley Rhododendron Society. View the “Rhodo Book”: Celebrating The First 25 Years – by Ian Efford and the first errata
