Rhodo expert Steve Rafferty will prove that his enthusiasm for elusive “species rhododendrons” knows no limits at the next monthly meeting of the North Island Rhododendron Society (NIRS) March 8.
Last May and June on a trek led by Steve Hootman, executive director of the Rhododendron Species Foundation to the Indian Himalayas, Rafferty and other “rhodo obsessives” from the U.S. and Canada were on an Indiana Jones-style hunt for rare rhodo species found only in this area. Rafferty, a member of the Victoria Rhododendron Society chapter, is a retired gardener and a self-taught expert in species rhododendrons (varieties that grow naturally in the wild.)
NIRS meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month in the Comox United Church hall, 250 Beach with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. Refreshments are served and guests interested in membership are welcome to attend.