Robert Zimmerman grows different species of rhododendrons at his nursery Chimacum Woods on the Olympic Peninsula. Some 300 species populate the collection in his garden, providing a reliable source of seed and cuttings.  His plant hunting trips are equal parts botanical, cultural, political and spiritual. This program on Tibet is no exception. It presents a one month trip in 1997 capturing a culture on the brink of change.

Zimmerman will be bringing rhododendrons to sell at the April Garden Club meeting on April 17 at the Madrona Room of Orcas Center.  He fell in love with rhododendrons over 30 years ago. A “species” rhododendron is a non-hybridized plant, which en masse form a stable population in the wild without human intervention.

Rhododendron habitats in the wild, particularly in China, are under constant threat from humans. Some are chopped down for firewood. Others fall under the road-builder’s heavy equipment or the farmers’ need to clear land for crop production. Except for a handful of dedicated botanists few seem to care about their future.

Zimmerman has traveled with botanists, three times to China, once to Tibet.

“Given the constant threat to rhododendron habitats in China, it may well be that we in the west will be able one day to return offspring of these plants to China in future generations, when there is greater appreciation for the diversity of Mother Nature in China,” say organizers. “Raising species rhodies is an investment in the future.”

For more information, see www.orcasislandgardenclub.org.