meerkerk rhododendron gardens

It was truly a wonderful experience to roam the paths of this marvelous display garden. I came in the Winter for my first time and found it lovely with views of old growth forest at almost every turn. I can't wait to return for the spring blooms of the Rhododendrons. This is a Non Profit organization run by the Seattle Rhododendron Society and it costs a $5 donation to get it. 40 acres of woods surround the 10 acres of groomed trails. Come anytime of year; Meerkerk Gardens will not disappoint!

Definitely worth the $5 admission--whether you are just visiting the area or live on Whidbey. Best time to go is Springtime (Mar-May). I believe rhodie blooming height is in April. Very well maintained, with lots of trails.

While I wasn't sure I would enjoy this stop on our trip, I was pleasantly surprised. The grounds are well kept by volunteers. The trails are very easy to navigate. They even have a meditation spot for you to take advantage of.Well worth the stop.

My wife and I visited the gardens with our son and his family. His two daughters love flowers and were very much taken with the gardens. The principal flowers there are rhododendrons, so that a May is the best time to visit.

To really enjoy these gardens you must visit at the peak of the rhododendron display. They have many different varieties along with some azaleas. a monkey paw tree (?) and flowering trees too. You can stroll along the trails at your leisure and see the various segments as you want. I especially loved the middle pond near the meditation garden. I wish there was more benches in that area. I must warn anyone with an allergy to bees to be aware that they are extremely prevalent during the flower period. They didn't bother me at all but went about their business gathering pollen. I think it is about 50 acres and well worth the visit. Restrooms are port-a-potties.

Not only can you walk through the rhodies, but there are beautiful woods walks as well. Really a beautiful garden and spectacular during the blooming season. Also the sell rhodies in their sales area.

Meerkerk gardens is a favorites of ours. We live on Whidbey Island and this garden is a treasure.When we first bought our property, and old farm, it did not have any flowers planted on the grounds. many natives, but I wanted the beauty of Rhodies. We went to Meerkerk to help us choose the right varieties, tall, short, early bloomer or late, fragrance or not, sage or sun, there are so many varieties to see. We learned which ones, and in what color scheme we wanted to use. We decided on some of the early, mid and late. Some can be dug up and bought, most are in containers. A very beautiful and educational place to visit, and almost free.

Lovingly designed and maintained with many plants in addition to the rhododendrons. Don't miss the monkey paw tree, And the nature trails

I enjoyed all of designer touches and plant species these gardens had to offer. Whoever created the gardens has a lot of moxie. I enjoyed walking through these gardens as an attraction on my route through Whidbey Island (from south to north). The giant Monkey Puzzle Tree gave me a huge buzz as I studied each unique branch. All of the Dahlia's were in bloom when I was there in early September. It appears that the gardens have different blooms at different times (like we did not see one rododendron in bloom) which takes a lot of knowledge and years of gardening in different weather conditions. I enjoyed taking lots photos at these clever gardens. This attraction is worth every cent of the $5.00 per person entry fee (on the honor system). When I saw the gazebo with the ocean overlook, I instantly thought it would be an awesome setting for a vow renewal ceremony or a wedding.

We arrived in late May so many of the rhododendron were still at their peak. The gardens take about an hour to tour. Entrance fee is only $5 on an honor system, so it is a fantastic value. Parking is free. There is a portable toilet available if you are needy.This place is nothing like Buchart Gardnens - it is more natural. You will walk through dirt paths through the gardens while viewing many rhododendron that are 50+ years old. If you like rhododendron, you will love this place. There is also an area where you can buy many varieties of the flowers for abotu $10 each. If we weren't flying the next day, we would have bought many of them.

After seeing so many flowers in bloom driving along we decided to take in the gardens. What an incredible display of Rhododendrons in full bloom. The colors were vivid. We had a strong rain storm the nite before so it had reeked some serious injuries on alot of blooms, but it didn't hurt the beauty. Very calm place, enjoyed the pond. Easy walk for everyone.Got some great pics to share with friends back home, taking them on a photo tour of the rhodies.

It is so beautiful, and gorgeous with acres of Rhododendrons, and other companion plants, a yellow Magnolia on the grounds in bloom, and other flowering trees! A pond on the grounds with wild Irises growing around it! They do have bushes of every color, and some are as big as a house, with huge blooms such as I had never seen! It is run by volunteers, and sometime you are the only people there! I did a photo shoot with two of my friends there, and they loved the gorgeous spots for photos! We were there 3 times last year, and then 2 times this year, but I want to go back and take more pics of the flowers with a macro lens! It cost 5 dollars, and it is worth it!

This is the most amazing display of rhodies you are ever likely to see in this lifetime. The gardens are astounding, especially in the late spring/early summer in the Pacific Northwest.

Rhododendrons of every size and color - including lavender and purple. Took many pictures here - the variety of rhododendrons was unreal. I'm not a gardening type, but this was really wonderful.

otherwise, it's a just a prett place. Without the flowers blooming, you go through it all in 30 minutes.