Rain delays annual rhododendron sale in Fort Bragg

Brilliant red rhododendron `Dr. Bowman’ was hybridized by Fort Bragg’s Dr. Paul Jay Bowman, widely known as a developer of new rhododendron varieties. Jan. 3, Hill House Inn, Mendocino, CA. (Devon Billings via Bay City News)

Season brightener `Christmas Cheer’ rhododendron blooms in December/January on the Mendocino coast. The plant is mid-sized, around 4 ft. tall with a rounded form. Jan. 3, Hill House Inn, Mendocino, CA. (Devon Billings via Bay City News)

FORT BRAGG, CA., 1/7/25 — It’s rhododendron planting time! With winter rains, planting rhodies is the best time to give the plants a terrific start. The Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is hosting its annual winter (formerly fall because of rain cancellations) rhododendron sale Jan. 11.

With almost 500 plants for sale, this year there are over 110 rhododendron varieties to select from (both hybrid and species) as well as 22 deciduous and evergreen varieties of azaleas. Scented and unscented, small and large in myriad colors, rhododendrons flourish on the Mendocino coast, and you don’t have to wait until spring for blooms. Varieties bloom every month of the year, so choosing several plants for different parts of your yard assures constant or near-constant bloom.