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

See Our Latest Videos!

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.

Dexter’s Orange

Boasts wonderful pink flowers that appear orange from a distance

They have the added bonus of being wonderfully fragrant.

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.

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