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Spring’s Favorite Flower
Rhododendrons are shrubs for all seasons. In winter some stand out with large evergreen leaves. In spring the flowers are showy; throughout the summer and fall the leaves add a pleasing, deep green color to the garden. There are over 900 species of rhododendron and over 28,000 cultivars of rhododendron in the International Rhododendron Registry.
Dexter’s Rhododendrons
Dexter was a businessman by trade, and took to growing and hybridizing rhododendrons on what is now Heritage Museums & Gardens at around 60 years of age. Between 1921 and 1943 Dexter produced between 5,000 and 10,000 seedlings annually and gave thousands of plantings away. Heritage currently has approximately 150 named rhododendron varieties by Charles Owen Dexter and the Dexter Estate Superintendent J.C. Cowles, who hybridized in the 1960s.
Rhododendron Video Series
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Rhododendron Repatriations & Propagation
Rhododendron Research News
Rhododendron Pruning
Rhododendron Propagation
Rhododendron Pests & Diseases
The Legacy of Rhododendrons at Heritage Museums & Gardens
Rhododendron Care & Planting Tips
Rhododendron Dexter’s Scintillation
Celebrate Heritage’s Rhododendron’s with Us!
From May 19 – May 29, Heritage celebrates rhododendrons during peak bloom.
Scintillation
Can grow up to 8’ tall and 8’ wide
A subtle pink color with shades of yellow, ‘Scintillation’ is considered to be the best of the plants created by Dexter. It has a pleasant fragrance, and when closely examined, it’s flower clusters are 8-10” across and made up of 20+ funnel-shaped clear pink blossoms with freckling on the upper side.
Recent Garden News & Blogs
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The Barbey Family Welcome Center Groundbreaking, February 7, 2024 Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks the Start of Construction for the New Barbey Family Welcome Center at Heritage Museums & Gardens February 8, 2024 (Sandwich, MA) [...]
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Welcome Center Capital Campaign Announcement, July 12, 2023 Heritage Museums & Gardens Announces Capital Campaign for New Welcome Center July 12, 2023 (Sandwich, MA) Heritage Museums & Gardens, a beloved cultural institution known [...]
Volunteer Spotlight!
Volunteer Spotlight: Featuring Elliot Friend By: Iris Clearwater, Volunteer Coordinator & Senior Gardener Upon entering the J.K. Lilly Automobile Gallery, you cannot help but marvel at how perfectly clean and well maintained the cars [...]
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? And Yet Another Chapter
Where Have All the Flowers Gone – and Yet Another Chapter in 2023 Mal’s Corner – CCHS Spring 2023 Newsletter As most of you know, I do follow the weather patterns fairly closely and [...]
