Brief Chapter History

The Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society was formed to promote and educate people about the genus rhododendron. For many years people from the Florence area who were interested in rhododendrons drove 75 miles to Eugene for meetings. In 1970 it was decided to form a Florence Chapter and call it "Siuslaw" after the indigenous native American tribe of the central Oregon coast. On April 7, Dr. DeVern Pinnock was elected first president with Kay Hutchison as secretary. The first meeting was a slide show of rhododendrons and azaleas by Ione Reed, a feature writer for the Eugene Register Guard. In March 1971, Agnes McCornack received the Chapter's first Bronze Medal Award, which is presented for outstanding work in the rhododendron field.


The Rhododendron Flower Show, currently held during Florence's Rhododendron Festival, originated in 1971 and was held in the Siuslaw Valley Bank. As the show outgrew its space, it was transferred to Lane Community College Skill Center, then to Oregon Pacific Bank, then the Bromley Room of the Siuslaw Public Library, and today is held at the Florence Events Center to accommodate the well over 1,000 trusses on display. Throughout the years many people and groups have donated time and materials for the Rhododendron Flower Show. Among those are the Florence Garden Club, the Eugene Rhododendron Chapter, the Siuslaw Middle School shop class that constructed display stands from plywood donated by International Paper, the Siuslaw High School typing class that published the show programs, and Bowhan Nursery that supplied the vases for the award winning flower trusses. The show signs were contributed by the Pinnock family and Bones Nursery. Today Chapter members, under the direction of an extremely active show committee, supports these activities. The Florence Business Community has donated trophies for the winning trusses since the first flower show and this tradition is graciously continuing today. What started out as a once a year flower show has grown to two shows, the Early Show in April and the Rhododendron Flower Show during the May Rhododendron Festival. Flower entries have grown from approximately 200 to well over 1,000 rhododendron flower trusses on display. In 1998, the Siuslaw Chapter hosted the Western Regional Conference of the American Rhododendron Society. In October of 2010 we hosted the Western Regional Conference again!


Gallagher Park is a very important project of the chapter. One of the purposes of the Siuslaw Chapter was to establish a public, native rhododendron (macrophyllum) garden. In 1911, A.E. and Irene Gallagher donated land on the corner of Highway 126 and Spruce Street to the City of Florence for a park. In February 1974, Whalley Nursery of Troutdale, Oregon, donated 135 plants for the park. Chapter members took two days to dig up these plants, which were then transported to the future park by Oceanway Transport. They were temporarily put next to the Florence Water Tower in chips donated by Murphy Veneer. They weren't watered much and that summer many died or were stolen. Then in March 1975, the first trails were marked out and the first rhododendrons planted. A Memorial Azalea Garden was planted at the main entrance of the park. The City of Florence has installed signs, a sprinkling system, and paved walkways. An advisory committee from the Rhododendron Society meets with City officials to discuss park needs and future development. Today the Florence Garden Club maintains the perimeter of the Park and the Siuslaw Chapter maintains the interior. Gallagher Park is a long term, continuous project which the Rhododendron Society is committed to keeping for the enjoyment of the public.


To encourage community awareness of the genus rhododendron the Chapter annually hosts two flower shows. We sponsored “The City of Rhododendron Contest” which honored the business or residence that displayed the best use of rhododendrons in the landscape. We sponsored “Plant a Rhododendron Month” during October to encourage the community to plant rhododendrons. The Chapter initiated the “Search for the Native Macrophyllum” project, which located many outstanding varieties of the native rhododendron, Rhododendron macrophyllum, along the Oregon Coast. The Chapter took cuttings and seeds from these plants and planted them in Gallagher Park to help preserve these natives.


Today the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is one of the largest and most active in the Pacific Northwest. The chapter tries different things to get the community involved. One year we sectioned the town off into 4 sections. Then for 8 years (private 4 years, commercial 4 years) we picked a business or private residence that best used rhododendrons and azaleas in their landscape, and we paid their membership for the next year to the ARS. At our Early show, we have a display of flower buds with leaves but no flower color showing; at the late show we have displays of new growth and of rhododendron and azalea bonsai. Those three things are voted upon by the public. It’s all about education and helps fulfill our chapter’s mission statement.


One year during our “Plant a Rhody” month (October is our best planting month) we partnered with our local newspaper: for four weeks, the names of everyone who renewed their yearly subscriptions to the newspaper went into a drawing and we gave the winners each a budded rhododendron. The paper took pictures and we got free publicity.


At the main flower show that is held on the third week end of May to coincide with the local Rhododendron Festival, we ask the Florence Elementary school classrooms to do an Art Project with their students. We display all that artwork on the walls during our flower show. It has become an annual event, with the students looking forward to the next year’s artwork. We go into the classrooms and talk about different rhododendrons, showing samples of the different flower types and colors. The younger children may just get a print of a flower, then they color it. Others have the use of computers and check out different rhododendrons and come up with their own ideas, such as making large 3D, tissue paper flowers. One class painted on ceramic tiles and had them fired. Each student who participates gets a ribbon and a certificate, signed by the Show Chair and the Chapter President.