Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens, Botanical garden in Greenbank, Whidbey Island, US
Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens covers 53 acres on Whidbey Island, including over 10 acres of display gardens with hundreds of rhododendrons and 43 acres of woodland crossed by more than 2 miles of hiking trails. Ann and Max Meerkerk built the garden in the early 1960s.
The property was developed by Ann and Max Meerkerk starting in the 1960s as a personal horticultural project. Ownership passed to the Seattle Rhododendron Society in 1979, ensuring the site's continued development and care.
The gardens serve as a gathering place where visitors experience the regional love for rhododendrons through seasonal displays and informal exploration. People come to walk among flowering plants that have become part of the local landscape's identity.
The site features clearly marked trails suitable for different walking abilities, though some paths pass through natural woodland areas. Wear appropriate footwear since terrain varies from maintained paths to more natural ground surfaces.
The garden's 53 acres are mostly woodland: only about 10 acres are planted display garden, while the remaining 43 acres hold more than 2 miles of hiking trails through the forest. Ann Meerkerk bequeathed the property to the Seattle Rhododendron Society after her death in 1979.
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