If you’re craving cooler weather and spring color, now is the time to tour the rhododendron collection at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg.  Over 125 species and more than 190 cultivars are waiting to catch your eye and take your breath away.

Last weekend our family walked not only the grounds but through the tent displays of individual contributions from the annual rhododendron judging. Even my six-year-old grandson couldn’t decide which bloom he liked best. Meanwhile, I pictured the pathetic-looking plant struggling to survive in my flower bed. Few leaves. Brown-tipped dull leaves. Sparse blooms. Some years, no blooms.

Frankly speaking, I have to admit that Vacaville’s arid climate and alkaline water, especially in the summer, can’t compare to the coastal conditions at MCBG, where rhododendrons thrive. My garden simply doesn’t offer the soil, water, humidity, shade, and temperature these plants need. But this gardener tries—mulching the soil, misting the plant in the mornings and evenings, and sheltering from the heat with a small umbrella. I refuse to give up on the Ericaceae family, whose delicate flowers delight my eye and inspire my soul. A bloom now and then is all I need.

For more information on why rhododendrons do so well in Fort Bragg and growing rhododendrons in hot weather, visit www.gardenbythesea.org   You’ll learn about the exotic big leaf rhododendrons and the fragrant trumpet-flowered plants and the origin of the Fort Bragg collection.